Film writers' individual top tens of the year
Our Best Films of 2017 list is all well and good (read it here), but this is where the real juice is, the individual picks from our crack team of film writers
Aggregated films of the year lists can create blind spots. By considering critical consensus, universally acclaimed films like Call Me By Your Name, Moonlight and Get Out rightly rise to the top of these end of year appraisals, but it means leftfield curios are left out in the cold. In The Skinny's case, films like Ang Lee's Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk, Olivier Assayas’ Personal Shopper, Yorgos Lanthimos' The Killing of the Sacred Deer and Anna Biller's The Love Witch are some of the titles this year that proved too idiosyncratic to break The Skinny’s Top 25 Films of 2017, but you’ll find champions of them below in our writers’ personal lists. There are plenty of other distinctive suggestions too: one writer sticks up for Netflix doc Five Came Back, another points to Simon Amstell’s vegan propaganda mockumentary Carnage as one of the year’s best, while another claims Twin Peaks: The Return as the finest 'cinematic' work of the year.
You can cast your eyes over our Film team's individual top ten lists below, which were used to calculate The Skinny's 25 Best Films of 2017; there you'll find plenty of fine films that slipped through the cracks of critical consensus.
John Bleasdale
1. The Florida Project (Sean Baker)
2. Blade Runner 2049 (Denis Villeneuve)
3. Dunkirk (Christopher Nolan)
4. Angels Wear White (Vivian Qu)
5. mother! (Darren Aronofsky)
6. You Were Never Really Here (Lynn Ramsey)
7. The Killing of the Sacred Deer (Yorgos Lanthimos)
8. Logan (James Mangold)
9. Casting JonBenet (Kitty Green)
10. Five Came Back (Laurent Bouzereau)
Honorable mentions: Free Fire (Ben Wheatley), Brawl in Cell Block 99 (S Craig Zahler), The Lost City of Z (James Gray), I am Not a Witch (Rungano Nyoni), War for the Planet of the Apes (Matt Reeves)
Stinker: Alien: Covenant (Ridley Scott)
Rachel Bowles
1. The Love Witch (Anna Biller)
2. Raw (Julia Ducournau)
3. Get Out (Jordan Peele)
4. My Life as a Courgette (Claude Barras)
5. The Florida Project (Sean Baker)
6. Moonlight (Barry Jenkins)
7. In Between (Maysaloun Hamoud)
8. The Handmaiden (Park Chan-wook)
9. Lady Macbeth (William Oldroyd)
10. Call Me By Your Name (Luca Guadagnino)
Honourable Mentions: Thelma (Joachim Trier), Dunkirk (Christopher Nolan), I Am Not Your Negro (Raoul Peck), Daphne (Peter Mackie Burns), Okja (Bong Joon Ho).
Re-release of the Year: The Big Heat (Fritz Lang 1953) – Park Circus
Home release: Buster Keaton: Three Films – Eureka Masters of Cinema
Stinker of the year: Brawl in Cell Block 99 (S Craig Zahler)
Philip Concannon
1. Certain Women (Kelly Reichardt)
2. Cameraperson (Kirsten Johnson)
3. Silence (Martin Scorsese)
4. The Work (Jairus McLeary, Gethin Aldous)
5. Song to Song (Terrence Malick)
6. Good Time (Benny Safdie, Josh Safdie)
7. A Ghost Story (David Lowery)
8. Elle (Paul Verhoeven)
9. Aquarius (Kleber Mendonça Filho)
10. Jawbone (Thomas Q Napper)
Honourable Mentions: Dunkirk (Christopher Nolan), The Florida Project (Sean Baker), Moonlight (Barry Jenkins), The Other Side of Hope (Aki Kaurismäki), A Quiet Passion (Terence Davies)
Re-releases of the Year: Multiple Maniacs (John Waters, 1970) – Park Circus, A Matter of Life and Death (Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger, 1946) – Park Circus, The Silence of the Lambs (Jonathan Demme, 1991) – BFI
Home Release of the Year: Jean-Luc Godard + Jean-Pierre Gorin: Five Films, 1968-1971 (Arrow)
Stinker of the Year: The Hitman’s Bodyguard (Patrick Hughes)
Tom Charles
1. Moonlight (Barry Jenkins)
2. The Handmaiden (Chan-wook Park)
3. La La Land (Damien Chazelle)
4. Blade Runner 2049 (Denis Villeneuve)
5. Dunkirk (Christopher Nolan)
6. Lion (Garth Davis)
7. Lady Macbeth (William Oldroyd)
8. Thor: Ragnarok (Taika Waititi)
9. Hidden Figures (Theodore Melfi)
10. Baby Driver (Edgar Wright)
Honorable mentions: Wind River (Taylor Sheridan), My Life as a Courgette (Claude Barras), Get Out (Jordan Peele), A Ghost Story (David Lowery), Manchester by the Sea (Kenneth Lonergan)
Home release of the year: Okja (Bong Joon Ho) – Netflix
Stinker of the year: xXx: Return of Xander Cage (D.J. Caruso)
Jamie Dunn
1. Certain Women (Kelly Reichardt)
2. A Quiet Passion (Terence Davies)
3. Heal the Living (Katell Quillévéré)
4. Call Me By Your Name (Luca Guadagnino)
5. My Life as a Courgette (Claude Barras)
6. 20th Century Women (Mike Mills)
7. Aquarius (Kleber Mendonça Filho)
8. Cameraperson (Kirsten Johnson)
9. Get Out (Jordan Peele)
10. Florida Project (Sean Baker)
Honourable mentions: The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected) (Noah Baumbach), God’s Own Country (Francis Lee), The Lost City of Z (James Gray), Baby Driver (Edgar Wright), Brawl in Cell Block 99 (S Craig Zahler)
Re-releases of the year: Multiple Maniacs (John Waters) – Park Circus, Daughters of the Dust (Julie Dash) – BFI, Fear Eats the Soul (Rainer Werner Fassbinder) – Arrow
Home video release of the year: Éric Rohmer Collection - Arrow
Stinker of the Year: Assassin's Creed (Justin Kurzel)
Patrick Gamble
1. Aquarius (Kleber Mendonca Filho)
2. Cameraperson (Kirsten Johnson)
3. By the Time it Gets Dark (Anocha Suwichakornpong)
4. Certain Women (Kelly Reichardt)
5. Call Me By Your Name (Luca Guadagnino)
6. Moonlight (Barry Jenkins)
7. The Florida Project (Sean Baker)
8. Mimosas (Oliver Laxe)
9. The Human Surge (Eduardo Williams)
10. Personal Shopper (Olivier Assayas)
Notable mentions: Jackie (Pablo Larrain), Mother! (Darren Aronofsky), La Soledad (Jorge Armand Thielen), Get Out (Jordan Peele), War for the Planet of the Apes (Matt Reeves)
Tom Grieve
1. Twin Peaks: The Return (David Lynch)
2. Song to Song (Terrence Malick)
3. Elle (Paul Verhoeven)
4. Nocturama (Bertrand Bonello)
5. Manchester by the Sea (Kenneth Lonergan)
6. Silence (Martin Scorsese)
7. The Handmaiden (Park Chan Wook)
8. Certain Women (Kelly Reichardt)
9. A Quiet Passion (Terence Davies)
10. Good Time (Ben Safdie, Josh Safdie)
Honorable mentions: The Meyerowitz Stories (Noah Baumbach), Call Me By Your Name (Luca Guadagnino), Aquarius (Kleber Mendonça Filho), Moonlight (Barry Jenkins), The Other Side of Hope (Aki Kaurismäki)
Re-release of the year: Daughters of the Dust (Julie Dash, 1991) – BFI
Home video release of the year: The Éric Rohmer Collection – Arrow
Stinker of the year: I successfully avoided the stinkers this year!
Ian Mantgani
1. Certain Women (Kelly Reichardt)
2. John Wick 2 (Chad Stahelski)
3. Carnage (Simon Amstell)
4. Charlottesville: Race and Terror (Elle Reeves, Josh Davis)
5. Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk (Ang Lee)
6. Good Time (Josh Safdie, Benny Safdie)
7. The Florida Project (Sean Baker)
8. mother! (Darren Aronofsky)
9. Lost in London (Woody Harrelson)
10. Double Date (Benjamin Barfoot)
Honorable mentions: Song to Song (Terrence Malick), Patriots Day (Peter Berg), The Love Witch (Anna Biller), Elle (Paul Verhoeven), Moonlight (Barry Jenkins)
Re-release of the year: Sorcerer (William Friedkin, 1977) – Entertainment One
Home releases: The Legend of the Holy Drinker (Ermanno Olmi) – Arrow, Eight Hours Don’t Make a Day (Rainer Werner Fassbinder) – Arrow
Stinker: On the Road (Michael Winterbottom)
Ross McIndoe
1. Baby Driver (Edgar Wright)
2. Manchester by the Sea (Kenneth Lonergan)
3. I Am Not Your Negro (Raoul Peck)
4. A Ghost Story (David Lowery)
5. Blade Runner 2049 (Dennis Villeneuve)
6. The Handmaiden (Park Chan-wook)
7. Get Out (Jordan Peele)
8. Silence (Martin Scorsese)
9. The Red Turtle (Michael Dudok de Wit)
10. Detroit (Kathryn Bigelow)
Honorable mentions: A Silent Voice (Naoko Yamada), War for the Planet of the Apes (Matt Reeves), Okja (Bong Joon-ho), Logan (James Mangold)
Stinker of the year: Alien: Covenant (Ridley Scott)
Ben Nicholson
1. Moonlight (Barry Jenkins)
2. Aquarius (Kleber Mendonca Filho)
3. Song of Granite (Pat Collins)
4. Cameraperson (Kirsten Johnson)
5. Personal Shopper (Olivier Assayas)
6. By the Time It Gets Dark (Anocha Suwichakornpong)
7. The Handmaiden (Park Chan-wook)
8. Certain Women (Kelly Reichardt)
9. Call Me By Your Name (Luca Guadagnino)
10. The Human Surge (Eduardo Williams)
Honourable mentions: Edith Walks (Andrew Kötting), The Florida Project (Sean Baker), It Comes at Night (Trey Edward Shults), Toni Erdmann (Maren Ade), War for the Planet of the Apes (Matt Reeves)
Re-releases of the year: Daughters of the Dust (Julie Dash) – BFI, Fear Eats the Soul (Rainer Werner Fassbinder) – Arrow, Victim (Basil Dearden) – Park Circus
Home release of the year: Vampir Cuadecuc (Pere Portabella) – Second Run DVD
Stinker: Kong: Skull Island (Jordan Vogt-Roberts)
Ben Rabinovich
1. Manchester by the Sea (Kenneth Lonergan)
2. A Ghost Story (David Lowery)
3. Toni Erdmann (Maren Ade)
4. Logan (James Mangold)
5. After the Storm (Hirokazu Kore-eda)
6. Dunkirk (Christopher Nolan)
7. Death of Stalin (Armando Iannucci)
8. Jackie (Pablo Larrain)
9. John Wick: Chapter 2 (Chad Stahelski)
10. The Lego Batman Movie (Chris McKay)
Honourable mentions: The Lovers (Azazel Jacobs), Thor: Ragnarok (Taika Waititi), A Monster Calls (JA Bayona), Blade Runner 2049 (Denis Villeneuve)
Re-releases of the year: Goodfellas (Martin Scorsese, 1990) – BFI, The Graduate (Mike Nichols, 1967) – StudioCanal, Manhattan (Woody Allen, 1979) – Park Circus
Home release of the year: Gifted (Marc Webb) – 20th Century Fox
Stinker of the year: Brimstone (Martin Koolhoven)
Adam Stafford
1. Toni Erdmann (Maren Ade)
2. Manchester by the Sea (Kenneth Lonergan)
3. On Body and Soul (Ildikó Enyedi)
4. I Called Him Morgan (Kasper Collin)
5. The Vietnam War (Ken Burns)
6. The Work (Jairus McLeary and Gethin Aldous)
7. The Creeping Garden (Jasper Sharp and Tim Grabham)
8. Stockholm My Love (Mark Cousins)
9. Mindhorn (Sean Foley)
10. David Lynch: The Art Life (Jon Nguyen and Rick Barnes)
Honorable mentions: Les Demons (Philippe Lesage): Undistributed as of yet in the UK, but seen at Glasgow Film Festival and it was a knock-out. Boss Baby (Tom McGrath): a favourite within my family and an all-round guilty pleasure (not to mention sly satire on Trumpian corporate politics).
Re-releases of the year: Predator (John McTiernan, 1987) – Park Circus
Home release of the year: Stalker (Andrei Tarkovsky) – Criterion UK
Stinker of the year: IT (Andy Muschietti): Although not particularly bad, the film disappointed after all the hype.
Josh Slater-Williams
1. Moonlight (Barry Jenkins)
2. Call Me By Your Name (Luca Guadagnino)
3. Silence (Martin Scorsese)
4. Blade Runner 2049 (Denis Villeneuve)
5. All This Panic (Jenny Gage)
6. Nocturama (Bertrand Bonello)
7. Raw (Julia Ducournau)
8. Paddington 2 (Paul King)
9. Logan Lucky (Steven Soderbergh)
10. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (James Gunn)
Honourable mentions: Okja (Bong Joon Ho), The Lost City of Z (James Gray), The Other Side of Hope (Aki Kaurismäki), I Am Not Your Negro (Raoul Peck), T2 Trainspotting (Danny Boyle)
Re-releases of the year: Terminator 2: Judgment Day (James Cameron, 1991) – StudioCanal, Sorcerer (William Friedkin, 1977) – Entertainment One
Stinker of the year: Baywatch (Seth Gordon)
Joseph Walsh
1. Killing of a Sacred Deer (Yorgos Lathinmos)
2. Florida Project (Sean Baker)
3. Loveless (Andrey Zvyagintsev)
4. Lost City of Z (James Grey)
5. Zama (Lucrecia Martel)
6. Mudbound (Dee Rees)
7. A Ghost Story (David Lowery)
8. mother! (Darren Aronofsky)
9. The Square (Ruben Östlund)
10. A Fantastic Woman (Sebastian Lelio)
Kelli Weston
1. Get Out (Jordan Peele)
2. I Am Not a Witch (Rungano Nyoni)
3. Paddington 2 (Paul King)
4. Logan (James Mangold)
5. Moonlight (Barry Jenkins)
6. Thelma (Joachim Trier)
7. Brigsby Bear (Dave McCary)
8. Mudbound (Dee Rees)
9. It Comes at Night (Trey Edward Shults)
10. Girls Trip (Malcolm D. Lee)