Whisky Galore! (1949)

My Top 10 of 2017

            Lets not beat around the bush; 2017 was a difficult year to be a cinema fan, in more ways than one. There were alarmingly few blockbusters that stood out this year, and for some reason it was harder than ever to find independent and foreign cinema that is worth a damn. Nevertheless, when a breakthrough ever occurs it was more than an insurmountable relief, it was an event. The best films of 2017 were like guiding lights in a sea of despair and bad taste. Even if this crop of films could not beat the high points of previous years—though not many can compete with Moonlight and Mad Max: Fury Road—the best of 2017 were revelatory, strange and exciting to watch. Anyone who felt unfulfilled by cinema this year needs to check these out, for they truly made 2017 worth all the trouble. But first some quick addendums; I am guilty of not seeing Good Time, Jane, Rat Film, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri, Mudbound, Personal Shopper and The Lost City of Z.  I did see Phantom Thread, Fantastic Woman and Paddington 2 but since I could not see these films until late into January I am considering these films as 2018 releases. So good luck, other films of 2018, you all got your work cut out for ya!

            Now, on to the actual list:

On Curiosity and The Movies

Classic Movie History Project: The Leopard

Top Ten of 2015

            A top 10 list of 2015 in April 2016, how relevant! In my defense, I did state in my last Honorable Mentions article that this would be finished before the Oscars in 2017, so this article is technically early.  Anyway, 2015 was a wonderfully weird year for film.  Many of the best films this year ranged from commercial blockbusters that seemed doomed to disappoint to niche art films that were balked by those who glanced at their premises, only for these films to shock the medium in brilliant fashion.

            Before we begin here are quick disclaimers. Among the films I failed to see before the year ended: Creed, Room, Sicario, The Martian, 45 Years, and When Marnie Was There; for all I know, any of these films could have earned a spot on the list, which is why they deserve a mention. I did manage to see: Spotlight, Brooklyn, Anomalisa, The Forbidden Room, The Assassin and Embrace of the Serpent, which are all worth viewing, but if I continue with these damn honorable mentions this article will never be completed.

Now here I present my most eloquent Top 10 list of 2015.

Yojimbo and A Fistful of Dollars

        So I have been dead silent on this blog since the Criterion Blogathon, which was sudden and I apologize. It is not because I was frustrated and exhausted with writing something new, it is because I was frustrated and exhausted with getting this damn video essay done!