Best movies of 2017

Cinemabon, the original TV Golden Age of the Fifties that you refer to was really special and I loved what little I saw of it. Everything was so simple and direct then. But now the quantity of good stuff is astounding. Even Emily Nussbaum, the excellent New Yorker TV writer from whose column I learned about "High Maintenance" and "The Deuce", can't keep up with it all. I learned about "The Good Wife," "Black Mirror" and "Babylon Berlin" from Peter. You cannot totally discount the claim that this is a new TV Golden Age. I am no expert, but some say it all began with David Chase and "The Sopranos" in the Nineties. And then he followed up with "The Wire" and lately, "The Deuce" (which I like a lot). And I don't think the casts are fielded from "modeling agencies." Yes, too cynical.

With HBO and Showtime access and a subscription to Netflix, I can watch a lot of this stuff on my computer screen. Other series I have enjoyed: "Mr. Robot." "Silicon Valley." "Bored to Death." Plan to watch: "The Americans." "Billions." ""Halt and Catch Fire," "The Leftovers."

I understand that "Twin Peaks: The Return" crowns all these, in a class by itself, and David Lynch's original "Twin Peaks" is considered to be a great influence on the best, most imaginative TV done since.

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HALT AND CATCH FIRE

Ok, ok... I concede that Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, and HBO have given us an incredible array of new TV shows that rival any historical period in TV history. As a sci-fi and mystery fan, I've been overwhelmed with the level of choice. On the quality side, there's Game of Thrones and Westworld along with Barry this season. Stranger Things and the Crown on Netflix. Altered Carbon was one of the finest sci-fi shows I've ever seen in a theater or on TV and no one's talking about it. I watch the Expanse and Lost in Space (new, released last month). I have Australia's Mrs. Fisher on fast dial (silly, I know) but there's also the weighty "Marcella," one of the finest murder mystery shows since Helen Mirren did Prime Suspect (and yes, I have all of those on fast dial, too). Documentaries and Science shows are of equal value to me and I have several series that I follow. Most recent? Hidden Houses is a retro English doc that delves into the history of Welsh manor houses. I could spend a whole paragraph on "Did you know..." The stand up comedy on Netflix is a standard Saturday night fare for me. Of course, so is Bill Maher and John Oliver on HBO.

This plethora of choice leads us off on our own merry path. No longer left with a handful of network choices, I can peruse the internet, go to my apps, and watch in the car, in the waiting room of the dentist office, in my bed before I fall asleep or in-between writing inspirations. I have my over-sized cell phone, my tablet, my living room big screen TV with Roku and my laptop. When we're together, my wife and I have a slew of shows that we parse like an open can of caviar, savoring each episode and counting down until we have to scramble for another series we like.

I wouldn't say this is a new golden age. I would say we're in the diamond jubilee; and the choices are so many that it makes my head swim on a daily basis.

I have watched the two first seasons of "The Crown" with great pleasure and admiration. I have started "Stranger Things" inspired by "Skam," the great Norwegian 4-season TV series, where a lead character, Isak, mentions it. It's good but I haven't gone on, yet. Why didn't you say which shows you and your wife Parse like a can of caviar (what does that mean, exactly?)? Aprropos of something you said, "silly" series can be addictive too, and my favorites have been "Doc Martin" and "Weeds."

We're big murder mystery fans but we also like some fantasy stuff if there a number of seasons, i.e. Beauty and the Beast or Lost Girls (Each has close to a hundred episodes, which we go through slowly as if we were sipping fine cognac, as opposed to cheap California wine). Some, like The Crown, are seasonal and usually cram those into two or three weeks. Altered Carbon only had one season but it was very excellent. My son recommended Marco Polo. Told on a grand scale, I loved the personal side of the show (backstory) and hoped it would continue. Evidently, it cost too much. Still, I found it very entertaining. I watched the new Star Trek Discovery on CBS All Access this year and paid the extra three dollars so I could watch without commercials. At the end of February, when the season ended, I cancelled my subscription. I'm not interested in watching golf, basketball, or the other two shows CBS offered through the subscription. This fall, in October, when the series returns, I'll renew my subscription and start watching Star Trek on a weekly basis. The quality of those shows went unmatched by any other subscription series. The money they spent was clearly up on the screen. I also loved the variety of characters, including the gay lovers featured in the main story. I'm only sorry they killed one of them off and sent the other one packing at the end of the season. So much for being gay. Evidently, it's still a fatal disease.

Speaking of fatal gays, I see Matt Bomer, Andrew Rannells, Zachary Quinto, Jim Parsons in the all-star cast revival of "Boys in the Band" on Broadway. I'd wager the entire run is sold out the first day.

I'm glad you like that adaptation of "Pride and Prejudice" and thanks to you (and Chris) for all the comments about tv series that you've seen that are really good. Good to learn. especially for me, who hasn't seen most of them. There's just so many movies and so many other things to do. I'm doing a lot of running and cross training these days and spending time outdoors. I'm also "seriously" dating because it's time I have a "serious" relationship again and it takes time to do that.

Good luck. For Lori and I both, this is our second marriage. My first one lasted one year. For Lori, her first lasted eight. We just celebrated our thirty-second wedding anniversary, so for us, the second time was the charm. I think we made all of the mistakes with our first marriage and learned our lessons. TMI?

Oscar, I'm glad you're seriously running (as well as dating). I remember looking you up online when I first came to this site and found you listed as an accomplished masters runner with good times in road races and as a former road racer myself I was pleased to see that.

It is especially useful to compare notes on TV series because the scene is so rich now; as I said, even Emily Nussbaum, the excellent New Yorker TV columnist, often protests, or pleads, that she has missed some and just can't consider them all.

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Originally Posted by cinemabon

Good luck. For Lori and I both, this is our second marriage. My first one lasted one year. For Lori, her first lasted eight. We just celebrated our thirty-second wedding anniversary, so for us, the second time was the charm. I think we made all of the mistakes with our first marriage and learned our lessons. TMI?

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Congratulations! I miss the romance, but it gets more difficult to find as you get older.

The goal is 5k under 22 minutes or about 7 minutes per mile which I aim to accomplish this year. I have a personal best of exactly 18 minutes (I was 30,I think). I completed a couple of marathons, and a really fast half marathon in my 30s. As long as my joints allow me to run I'm going to enjoy it. Most 57 year olds (including my 2 younger brothers) cannot run anymore.

You are lucky. I was forced to quit before that, not willingly, I assure you. I didn't last that long, less than 15 years, but they were some of the best. When foot trouble forced me to stop I did aerobics for 8 years, then yoga, now I just walk every morning. I think Walt Stack, the legendary San Francisco runner, did not even start doing his ridiculously intensive morning routines till he was your age, 57, and continued how long? 25 years? I ran one of my first marathons, the defunct Sonoma Wrong Turn Marathon, and it was announced Walt was there to celebrate his 70th birthday by running his 70th marathon. He lived to be 87 but he was ill in a nursing home for some years. All that drinking may not have been good for him, but he certainly enjoyed himself.

Glad you walk daily. Thanks for telling us about Walt Stack. I may one day do another half but never a whole marathon. I'm focused on a sub-22 5k. I'm about a minute slower at the moment. November is my target month to reach this goal. Then I will probably set my sights on a 10k for spring, maybe a sub-45.

I just watched what may be the most neglected film "released" in 2017: THE TEACHER, the most recent collaboration between Jan Hrebejk and Petr Jarchovsky (Cozy Dens, Divided We Fall, etc.). The "distributor" is Film Movement which means that it might as well be a direct-to-disc release. Anyway, the premise concerns a widowed teacher, well-placed within the Czechoslovakian Communist party, who abuses her power to the detriment of her students and their parents. The Teacher uses an intricate but legible flashback structure and reminds some viewers of 12 Angry Men in terms of its plot and character development.

I feel good these days, I am living a cleaner life than when I was running a lot. Good you're working for the faster 5K.

I have not seen that film. It came to NYC in late Aug. when I wasn't there and may not have lasted long. I see it can be watched on Amazon though.

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Originally Posted by Chris Knipp

I feel good these days, I am living a cleaner life than when I was running a lot. Good you're working for the faster 5K.

I have not seen that film. It came to NYC in late Aug. when I wasn't there and may not have lasted long. I see it can be watched on Amazon though.

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I'm glad to hear you're feeling good and all. I'm working towards doing the race at 7 minutes per mile. Just a few months away, I figure.

As far as the 2017 "runner-ups" list: phenomenal films just short of top 10 status, I am downgrading "Good Time" for its cynicism and replacing it with the Slovak film The Teacher. Now, as far as the TOP 10 films proper: I listed them in alphabetical order initially but now, with the perspective time allows, two of the 10 seem to stand out: THE DEATH OF LOUIS XIV, the French film by Catalan director Albert Serra with a mesmerizing performance by Antoine Doinel (half kidding) and the intelligent and emotional MUDBOUND, a film produced by Netflix that is emblematic of the criticism the company has received for, among other things, failure to give films a respectable theatrical release that still confers respect and authority and makes a great film stand out among the gargantuan stream of audiovisual production in different formats and windows. Director Dee Rees seems to be particularly adept at handling group scenes and calibrating a performance to suit the whole drama. I will continue to explore these two marvelous movies.

I was very disappointed with Good Time, after the hype. Mudbound for me was too hellbent for tragedy. Couldn't watch it at home. In a theater I'd have stuck it out. It was top-rated for that year. I guess Serra is really good at doing people dying but it seems to take them awfully long. I saw both his dying-famous-men films. "Antoine Doinel" is NOT well, I can tell you. He has not taken care of himself. He is younger then me.

Look for some new film reviews coming from me of:

Support the Girls (Andrew Bujalski)
John McEnroe: In the Realm of Perfection (Julien Faraut) narrated in English by Mathieu Amalric
Madeline's Madeline (Josephine Decker)
A Whale of a Tale (Megumi Sasaki)

These are all coming out in the next few weeks and all have high critical ratings.

Of recent films I've seen in theaters I find MCQUEEN leaves the greatest glow. I also think SORRY TO BOTHER YOU is a great comedy. I did not get the other Oakland movie, BLINDSPOTTING, didn't see the point of it quite. In a similar vein looking forward to BLACKKKLANSMAN by Spike Lee. The new TOM CRUISE MISSION IMPOSSIBLE is great, but then, it disappears in the corners of your mind among all the similar films. He is in remarkable shape. I wonder what he can do a 10K in. Isn't he about your age?

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I guess you are saying you're going to run a 10K in 43.7 minutes, but is it normal to calculate a kilometer race in minutes per mile? I guess here maybe it is. I think I did do about that once, but when I was younger than you are now. Ten-Ks are hard, aren't they?

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I guess you are saying you're going to run a 10K in 43.7 minutes, but is it normal to calculate a kilometer race in minutes per mile? I guess here maybe it is. I think I did do about that once, but when I was younger than you are now.

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I didn't mention 10k races. Just a 5k (3.1 miles) at 7 minutes per mile (under 22 minutes total). In the US, runners talk only about minutes per mile even when the races are measured in kilometers. Last year, my best was 22:20. This year I am going to achieve my goal time. I am confident. I plan to lower my weight to 140 lbs. and do a lot of hill running to strengthen my legs.

I watched Aki Kaurismaki's THE OTHER SIDE OF HOPE a couple of times and I think it's a major achievement. I want to place it in my 2017 Top 10 like you did. However, I could not move any of the films out of my existing top 10 to make room for it. I am watching several Kaurismaki films that did not open in the US. I especially liked his version of Hamlet set in 80s Finland with the protagonist being the son of a greedy CEO not a king. It's called Hamlet Goes Business, with the great Katy Outinen as Ophelia but no Falstaff to be found.

Thanks for the information, Oscar. Love Kaurismäki. You are replying to a message I posted a year ago.

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Originally Posted by Chris Knipp

Thanks for the information, Oscar. Love Kaurismäki. You are replying to a message I posted a year ago.

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I am certainly a late responder. I am thinking about this 2017 list and that film by Paul Thomas Anderson that came out #1, best film of the year, on a lot of polls, including the one run by the Village Voice. I've written recently on the pleasure and important to promote good films that may be forgotten, or at least neglected or under-appreciated. I was noticing how I probably did that when making my list and leaving PHANTOM THREAD just outside the top 10 while including films that, unlike PHANTOM THREAD, are likely to be forgotten: a 1954 Sternberg restoration, and animé, and a TV series too weird for today's taste. The specificity in the relationships between the three principals and the delicacy of the feelings between artist and muse make P.T. one of the great achievements in recent times. It's only fair to admit it even though it doesn't need to be reiterated (Group think was right this time. The metacritic score must be in the 90s.) My 2017 list has been edited to reflect this change in attitude.

2017 Top 10

Mudbound
Twin Peaks
The Death of Louis XIV
Phantom Thread
The Florida Project
Lady Bird
A Quiet Passion
The Red Turtle
The Shape of Water
The Woman Who Left

I had watched the trailer back in 2017 but ultimately didn't watch the movie. Now during this whole Pandemic outbreak, my basis for selecting and judging films has probably become somewhat distorted. However, I hope at some point I will get around to watching "Phantom Thread" now that it's been recalled into my consciousness.

Just 90% I think, PHANTOM THREAD. It is a good one. "A TV series too weird for today's taste." Really? I doubt that. Bbut there is only one David Lynch. There's just nobody that original. There was quite a buzz about the revived TWIN PEAKS a couple years ago, and well deserved.