The Best Films of 2017.

2017 may have been a shitshow, but the year in film seemed to have a little something for everyone. My best film list has every genre from romantic drama to horror to dark comedy to films dealing with social issues, fantasy, coming of age, and a casual tale of Mother Nature herself (or something).

Overall, the top three films stand out in my mind as the clear masterworks of the year, but it was a solid year all around and I'll think fondly of all of the films below when I look back. Below are the 25 I chose to single out. Enjoy!

HONORABLE MENTIONS

25. OKJA

A delightful adventure with a surprisingly devastating ending, Okja is much more than a simple morality tale. Although it is that too, the film's exuberant spirit and thrilling chase sequences made it a hard play for the best Netflix offering yet.

24. THE LOST CITY OF Z

James Gray's past few films were gorgeous, but cold to me. Maybe The Lost City of Z felt different, or maybe I've adapted to his rhythms, but the film's lush visuals and fascinating real life story gave me the connection I finally needed to become a certified fan.

23. THE SQUARE

Ruben Ostlund's follow up to Force Majeure might run a little long and not pack the punch of that film, but it contains a handful of the most memorable scenes of the year and alternates between hilarious and tense with an ease that stays true to what we've come to expect from him.

22. BLADE RUNNER 2049

In the age of reboots of every cult classic of the past, there's almost no reason for a film like Blade Runner to be as ambitious and artistically refined as it is. But in a glut of maximalist blockbusters, Denis Villeneuve's film managed to stand out from the pack.

21. COCO

Pixar may have committed almost completely to sequels for the foreseeable future, but at least they got one more original story in this year. Coco had a tough pedigree to follow up, but it continued the studio's tradition of beautiful animation and emotional storytelling with the added plus of honoring a heritage that most mainstream animation ignores.

20. INGRID GOES WEST

Ingrid Goes West is exactly the kind of film that lives and dies by its cast and script. Instead of a melodramatic diatribe against social media, the film is a hilarious and thoughtful consideration of modern society with two committed-as-hell actresses guiding you along the way.

19. WONDERSTRUCK

Todd Haynes remains one of our greatest living filmmakers. Even telling a more conventional story than we're used to, that he's able to craft a tale as visually stunning and touching as Wonderstruck speaks to his immense talents.

18. BEATRIZ AT DINNER

Over the past year, numerous films have attempted to latch onto the current administration to give their movie added relevance. But Beatriz at Dinner is the rare film to stumble upon it and actually capture the tension that currently exists in America. Salma Hayek's beautiful performance and Mike White's smart script stood out in a year we desperately needed them.

17. BPM

2017 was a great year for queer cinema, both in America and abroad, and one of the best examples of that was BPM. Capturing the anger of the French ACT UP movement, and hopefully educating a few people along the way, it effectively captures an important moment in history that shows how far we've come and how far we still have to go.

16. LADY MACBETH

One of the most stunning debuts of the year and a stomach-turning twist on the familiar period drama. Lady Macbeth is difficult and upsetting, but also a thoroughly considered meditation on what we've come to expect from films of a certain kind.

RUNNERS-UP

15. WAR FOR THE PLANET OF THE APES

Every film that turns a profit gets a franchise, but few have earned it quite like the new Planet of the Apes trilogy. Far and away the best blockbusters of the last few years, each film pushed its artistry far beyond its competitors and this closing chapter (although I hope that changes) was a worthy ending for this tale.

14. THE BEGUILED

With each film, Sofia Coppola proves both that her eye is desperately needed in Hollywood and that she is still not given her due. Long past the prolificness of her lauded father, The Beguiled is another chance to admire her talent and another great example of a great year for female filmmakers

13. A GHOST STORY

I knew little-to-nothing about A Ghost Story when I sat down to see it and that is how everyone should view it. A tale of life and death and what's in-between, what seems at first like a simple tale of grieving evolves into something that jumps across time and space. Points for ambition, but further marks for capturing loss in a poignant and unforgettable way.

12. THE SHAPE OF WATER

Guillermo del Toro is the only filmmaker I can think of who consistently makes films I don't think I would enjoy if they were made by anyone else. But this lovely fairytale, with the always incredible Sally Hawkins, rests on his glorious ambition and pulls you in at every stop.

11. NOCTURAMA

Finishing Nocturama the first time, I couldn't tell if I hated it or thought it was a masterpiece. My opinion could still vary depending on the day, but I do know it's a thrilling provocation that is expertly crafted and sinks into your gut. Whether it says something or nothing, it alternately thrills and antagonizes at every turn and you won't get it out of your head.

THE TOP TEN

10. MOTHER!

A one-of-a-kind provocation, not made for everyone, but certainly the most unique theater experience I had in all of 2017. An extended metaphor (for what? up to debate) that annihilates any subtlety on its way to delivering the most devastating climax of the year. God bless Darren Aronofsky for trying and Jennifer Lawrence for going along with him on this bewildering journey. I definitely won't forget it.

09. PHANTOM THREAD

2017 was a year of duets - see my #6 and top two for further evidence - but watching Vicky Krieps and the legendary Daniel Day-Lewis work magic together still managed to stand out from the pack. Paul Thomas Anderson, whose last couple of films slipped from "love" to "admire" for me, manages a great feat here. A film of quiet and strange ambition, under someone else's hand Phantom Thread might have been just an exercise, but under these artists it's sublime.

08. PERSONAL SHOPPER

After hating Twilight for several years, the past few years have really forced me to eat crow regarding its two lead actors (see also #5). Kristen Stewart has long evolved from that franchise and Personal Shopper is a haunting little ghost tale of a film. Both Stewart and director Olivier Assayas take us on a moody journey, one both deeply moving and thrillingly strange.

07. GET OUT

The horror genre always gets the shaft when it comes to larger critical appraisal at the end of the year. How great, then, that not only has Get Out found itself riding a wave of acclaim, but that the movie wholly earns the raves. Both hilarious and frightening in equal measure, Get Out proves once and for all that horror can be the most effective genre for social critique.

06. LOVELESS

Andrey Zvyagintsev's films teach you more about Russia than you'd ever get from the news. Like his last film, Loveless is a crushing drama about flawed people. But as harrowing as his films can be, the dramatics never feel unearned and his acute understanding of human emotion keeps delivering with each film.

05. GOOD TIME

Perhaps the most tense and nauseating theater experience of the year, but also easily the most invigorating. Good Time is 100 glorious minutes of pure electricity, taking you on a night of endless adrenaline, with the year's most propulsive score and a lead performance that jumps off the screen.

04. A FANTASTIC WOMAN

The logline of A Fantastic Woman evokes a number of hot button issues. But A Fantastic Woman is not a political film, it's a film about what it's like when the world views your identity as political. A touching tribute to its heroine and a vibrant tale of perseverance, the film is a stunning slice of life that effortlessly resonates with the outside world.

03. THE FLORIDA PROJECT

Sean Baker is an immense talent. The Florida Project, in almost any other hands, would have been an exploitative nightmare. Instead, it's a small ray of joy; the kind of film that transports you to a world you've likely never experienced or even thought about. The residents who make up the motel at its center struggle and survive, but the movie manages to show you the light beside the dark that too often we like to look past.

02. LADY BIRD

"Don't you think maybe they are the same thing - love and attention?"

Greta Gerwig has been one of the most exemplary writer-actresses of her generation for years now, but even I underestimated Lady Bird. That the woman who already gave us Frances Ha, my #1 movie of 2013, could jump behind the camera and give us another work as vital and essential is mind boggling. With two actresses operating in perfect harmony, Lady Bird is the kind of movie Hollywood should be making a dozen of per year. Thank god we have this one.

01. CALL ME BY YOUR NAME

"To feel nothing so as not to feel anything - what a waste!"

A small miracle. Call Me By Your Name is sumptuous and gorgeous, but underneath that sheen is something few films can accomplish. How rare is it to capture the feeling of pure yearning between two people without labored exposition or forced confrontation? Over its runtime, Luca Guadagnino's film takes you deep inside its short-lived romance and showcases desire in a way few films ever get the opportunity to. No bashing, no coming out, no oppressive figures of doom, for two hours the romance between these two feels like the most important thing in the world. And even when it ends in heartbreak, the full spectrum of emotion the film takes you on is one of a kind. Who knows if Call Me By Your Name is the exception or the new rule, but let's cherish it anyway.

Beyond that, there were numerous films I enjoyed that just missed the cut, but any of which could've ended up here on another day including: Battle of the Sexes, The Big Sick, The Blackcoat's Daughter, City of Ghosts, Colossal, Columbus, A Cure for Wellness, Dawson City: Frozen Time, The Disaster Artist, Dunkirk, Film Stars Don't Die in Liverpool, Graduation, It Comes At Night, Kedi, The Killing of a Sacred Deer, Landline, Logan Lucky, Marjorie Prime, The Meyerowitz Stories, Molly's Game, Mudbound, Princess Cyd, Strong Island, Thelma, The Unknown Girl.

And of course, to take the good with the bad, my Least of 2017:

01. Downsizing
02. The Last Face

03. The Book of Henry

04. The Circle

05. Beauty & the Beast