Best movies of 2017

[Chris Knipp]

I wasn't questioning what is a movie. I said one of the best experiences and it wasn't a movie. Experiences of art, entertainment. Great experiences in reading count too as best experiences of the year - Knausgaard's Struggle books the past two years (waiting for the English translation of the 6th and last book), but we know books aren't movies. There is a gray area, maybe, between series and sequences of films, take "Dekalog," presented originally on television. Surely "Twin Peaks" is TV, though, despite David Lynch being the creator. Someone told me late at night she hasn't the time or energy for a feature film and doesn't want to watch one in segments, so then a short episode of a TV series is just right.

A list is always relevant no matter when you make it, it's just that people may have lost interest or don't remember some of the movies any more. I have gotten stuck on some of the 2017 NYFF Main Slate films. They are accessible online now but I can't face them or in the case of Mudbound got stuck in the middle, so my "completist" approach is frustrated when I haven't had access to the press screenings. If I had, I could have sat through anything. But at home, special motivation is required. However Oscar I hope you can catch up on my lists and wish you happy viewing.

It is better to watch a movie with an audience, ideally perhaps even an audience committed to it in some way.