5. Blade Runner 2049 (dir. Denis Villeneuve)
One of the best sequels of all time, “Blade Runner 2049” is further proof that Denis Villeneuve is one of the best directors working today. This film also has splendid work by cinematographer Roger Deakins.
Thirty years after the events of the first film, K (Ryan Gosling), an LAPD officer discovers a secret that may completely change how society is organized. From that moment on he will have to find Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford), a former LAPD officer who is now missing.
With a very unique and often slow-paced atmosphere, “Blade Runner 2049” is a sequel that is as great as it could be. With great character arcs, a strong performance by Gosling and magnificent visuals, Villeneuve’s sequel is a very complex film and is truly a movie that should have been nominated for Best Picture at this year’s Oscars.
4. Detroit (dir. Kathryn Bigelow)
Very few filmmakers are able to build tension as effectively as Kathryn Bigelow does.
“Detroit” is a movie based on on the Algiers Motel incident that occurred in the city of Detroit on July 25th, 1967 during the riots. On that night, three black man were murdered and nine other people were brutally beaten at that motel. The movie approaches the events that happened before and after the Algiers Motel incident.
A very political film, “Detroit” is another powerful work from Bigelow and has a great script by Mark Boal. Allied with great performances by John Boyega and Anthony Mackie, “Detroit” is a film that definitely should have been nominated for Best Picture and also for Best Director at the 90th Academy Awards.
3. The Lost City of Z (dir. James Gray)
Another great film from one of the most underrated – and one of the most brilliant – directors working today, “The Lost City of Z” is one if the best films from 2017.
Starring Charlie Hunnam, Robert Pattinson, Sienna Miller and Tom Holland, this film by James Gray follows the story of British explorer Percival Fawcett (Hunnam), who in the 1920s disappeared during his search for an enigmatic city in the Amazon rainforest.
With great production design and the best performance in Hunnam’s career, “The Lost City of Z” is able to approach so many different themes and is another great movie directed by Gray, and a film that without a doubt should be watched by any cinephile.
2. Good Time (dir. Ben and Josh Safdie)
With the best performance of Robert Pattinson’s career to date, “Good Time” is one of the best American movies from 2017.
In this film, when a heist goes wrong, Connie (Pattinson) spends the night trying everything to free his intellectually disabled brother from being sent to an institution.
A very powerful drama that uses thriller elements to approach the story of a very complex leading character and which has one of the best endings of the year, “Good Time” is definitely a movie that should be watched by any cinephile.
“Good Time” is without a doubt a movie that deserved to be nominated for Best Picture, and also for Best Actor for Robert Pattinson and Best Supporting Actor for Ben Safdie.
1. Columbus (dir. Kogonada)
Probably the “best first movie of 2017,” “Columbus” is the directorial debut of Kogonada. With a very unique connection between architecture and its characters and storyline, “Columbus” is truly one of the most intriguing movies of 2017.
Following the story of a Korean man who is now stuck in the city of Columbus because his father, an architect, is in a coma, everything changes when he meets a girl who, instead of chasing her dreams, wants to stay in the city to take care of her mother.
With great writing and mise en scène by Kogonada, the powerful dialogues allied with the strong performances by John Cho and Haley Lu Richardson definitely makes “Columbus” one of the best films from last year, and a movie that should have definitely been nominated for Best Picture at this year’s Oscars.
Author bio: Vítor Guima is a filmmaker, writer and musician. Every day he watches a movie, reads a few pages from a book, listens to an album and freaks out with the feeling of not having enough time to see everything. You can follow him on Instagram on @ovitorguima.