Thor: Ragnorak | Through the Shattered Lens

Well, it’s time for the list that everyone’s been waiting for! Today, I finish up my look back at the previous year by listing my 26 favorite films of 2017!

(Why 26? Because Lisa doesn’t do odd numbers!)

Now, I should make clear that I haven’t seen every film that was released in 2017. Are you looking at this list and asking yourself, “What about I, Tonya? Phantom Thread? Call Me By Your Name? The Post?” The sad truth of the matter is that, largely due to bad weather and a severe cold that I’m still recovering from, I haven’t seen those films yet. (And, to be honest, everything that I’ve heard about The Post makes me suspect that it’s not going to be for me.) I’ll probably see all of those films next week but the thing is, there’s only so long that a film blogger can put off posting their best-of-the-year post. This is the end of the third week of January. I supposed I could have waited until February but, by that point, who would care?

As I see those films that I still need to see, I’ll modify this list as necessary. That said, I find it hard to believe that I’ll see any more 2017 films that I like more than the films in my current top ten.

(Unfortunately, because the previous year was a bit chaotic, I’m way behind in my reviewing. So, I haven’t posted reviews for all the films on my list. Hopefully, over the upcoming week, I’ll be able to catch up with that! And, fear not, my resolution for 2018 is not to get any further behind in my reviewing and I plan to stick to that.)

A Ghost Story
Lady Bird
Wonder Woman
Kedi
The Big Sick
Baby Driver
It
The Disaster Artist
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
The Meyerowitz Stories
Logan
Dunkirk
Get Out
Raw
Maudie
It Comes At Night
Megan Leavey
Beauty and the Beast
Spider-Man: Homecoming
Thor: Ragnorak
The LEGO Batman Movie
Ingrid Goes West
Before I Fall
Colossal
The Beguiled
Detroit

(Want to see my previous picks? Click here for 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, and 2010!)

Previous entries in the TSL’s Look Back at 2017:

Well, it’s that time.

Every Thanksgiving, I come up with an even-numbered list of things for which I’m thankful. I know some people are saying that we shouldn’t be thankful for anything this year. These are the people who say that, because they’re miserable, it’s somehow offensive that everyone else isn’t miserable.

But you know what?

Fuck that.

No one tells me what to believe or whether or not I can celebrate a holiday. That freedom is something that I’m very thankful for! Here’s a few more things that I’ve been thankful for this year:

I’m thankful for this site. Arleigh Sandoc founded Through the Shattered Lens in December of 2009 and, about four months later, I posted my very first review on this site. A lot has changed since that first review. New contributors have added their own unique perspectives to this site and I’d like to think that, on a personal level, I’ve grown as a writer since I wrote that first review. But one thing that has always remained consistent is just how much I love doing this. I’ve posted over 4,000 posts on Through the Shattered Lens and I’ve had a blast writing every one of them!

2. I’m thankful for our readers. Seriously, you are the ones who make all of this worthwhile. We currently have somewhere around 28,000 subscribers and to each and every one of you, I say, “Thank you.” Thank you for reading and thank you for commenting. Just as I hope I’ve introduced some of you to some new movies, quite a few of you have also inspired me to take a second and third look at some of the films I’ve reviewed.

3. I’m thankful for all of the brave women (and men) who have shared their stories in an effort to make this world a safer place.

4. I’m thankful that this was the year of Twin Peaks. On this site, starting with the original series and extending all the way through the end of the Showtime revival, we shared our thoughts on everything Twin Peaks this year. Years from now, we’ll still be debating why Laura screamed.

5. I’m thankful that this has been a great year for genre films. While so many of the year’s “prestige” films fell flat, 2017 will always be remembered as the year of War of the Planet of Apes, Wonder Woman, The Lego Batman Movie, Beauty and the Beast, Split Kong: Skull Island, Get Out, It, Spider-Man, The Big Sick, Logan, and Thor: Ragnorak.

6. I’m thankful for networks like TCM, which introduce classic movies to new viewers.

7. I’m thankful for my friends in the Late Night Movie Gang. Every Saturday night, we watch a movie. Sometimes the movie is bad and sometimes, the movie is really bad. But we always have a blast.

8. I’m thankful that, in just another few weeks, I’ll be able to see The Disaster Artist.

9. I’m thankful for the artists who, in this time of rampant conformity, are still fighting to maintain their own unique and individual vision.

10. I’m thankful for Chinese food. Seriously, who doesn’t love Chinese food?

Happy thanksgiving!