I liked most of the movies I saw in 2017, so don’t take it too much to heart if your faves aren’t here. As usual, I’m trying to pull off a tricky balancing act between acknowledging the movies I liked the most and judging movies on their formal and thematic merits, all as part of my larger ongoing project of developing my critical taste and moral imagination. This year I saw enough new releases that for the first time in the 6 years I’ve been making these lists that I can meaningfully expand my list to 20. So here are 10 excellent films I would go to bat for in any year and 10 more that were very good but may grow or fall in my estimation depending on the day and my mood. To each their own, and to a better 2018 for all!
Honorable Mentions (20–11) ...