Best and Worst Movies of 2017

Here it is. The final declaration. The moment where I declare the absolute best and the absolute worst. While many more significant events have happened throughout 2017, the movies saw some milestones as well as the end of some franchises that really, really need to be put to rest.

Without further ado, here are my picks for the best and worst of 2017.

Best film of 2017

Wind River

This film has it all. Relatable drama, sympathetic characters, superb performances, well-intended and relevant commentary, realistic yet artfully crafted action scenes, and an ending that is satisfying and cathartic. It has officially skyrocketed Taylor Sheridan's reputation as an artist of quality, it shines a light on an aspect of American life not looked into as often as it truly deserves, and, above all, it is the most human story told this year. We need more movies like this, and I hope that we will see them in the future. I also hope to someday be just as powerful a storyteller as Mr. Sheridan. This is a real gem of a film, and I cannot recommend that you buy it and watch it enough. Thank you, Mr. Sheridan.

Worst film of 2017

Alien: Covenant

I cannot for the life of me think of one thing that this movie does right. The script is lazy, the acting is subpar, the cinematography is ugly, the special effects are outdated, the characters aren't actually characters but walking plot devices (when they're not acting stupid), the Xenomorphs aren't scary, and to top it all off, the direction is entirely directionless. Ridley Scott has made a whole movie on autopilot. What's worse is that there is a concept for an excellent new Alien movie just waiting for the chance to be made, and yet nobody is giving it the time of day. Well, maybe now that Disney owns 20th Century Fox, they might give it a look. In the meantime, Sir Ridley Scott really needs to do himself and us a favor, and retire from the directors' chair. He can still produce, but I think his directing days are over. If this and other incompetent works like The Counselor are not enough pieces of evidence to support this, I don't know what is. Mr. Scott, you had a great run, but I get the impression that your heart is no longer in the game. Please step down now before you hurt someone, or yourself.

Okay, that was fun. Maybe I'll do this kind of list again next year. In the meantime, to maintain the tradition of doing things differently this year, be on the lookout for more movie related posts as well as movie reviews. I will be spending some time talking about aspects of filmmaking I find to be the most interesting. Not unlike my previous post about compression. I hope you will enjoy them whatever they turn out to be.

Ladies and gentlemen, I am TheNorm, thank you for reading.