So we’re finally here, New Year’s Eve, the last day of 2017. And I’m proud to say… I did it! I finished my MovieADay project, with a day to spare… and a few extra films in the bank. This year, I watched 370 films for the first time, and it’s been a lot of fun. I’ve enjoyed so many wonderful movies - I’m hoping to write up a summary post tomorrow about my thoughts on the whole year (I’ve had people already ask for my top ten films of the project - it’s going to be hard to choose!).

But for now, here is the last roundup post of the year! As always, you can check out my complete MovieADay list on IMDb, and the full list of films 351 through 370 are below my capsule reviews.

‘The Shape of Water (2017)’

Over the holiday break, I ran into a friend who had also seen ‘The Shape of Water’, and we spent several minutes gushing about it. What we both loved was the artistry of this film, how absolutely complete it was - this film is just drenched in artistic qualities, it’s definitely one of the most beautiful films I’ve seen this year. Once again, Guillermo del Toro creates a visually rich world that, while centering on a supernatural catalyst, is much closer to the real world than we may want to admit. The tropes of a classic creature feature are here, questioning who is truly the monster, and how do we treat those who are different from us - a common question to be sure, but even more timely in this atmosphere.

But beyond that, in del Toro’s hands the story becomes a lyrical love story, leaning on fantastic visuals and perfectly paired music to express the feelings between two characters who don’t need spoken word to communicate and understand each other. Sally Hawkins is just brilliant, Michael Shannon is perfectly terrifying, and the rest of the cast performs beautifully in service of this layered story. Richard Jenkins especially struck me - his performance is both witty and heartbreaking, with gentle compassion that stands out in several scenes. (9/10)

‘Paterson (2016)’

A poem in the shape of a film. That’s what this evoked for me, which is apropos considering it is about a bus driver who writes poetry. Set in the town of Paterson, NJ - home of more known people than you may think, as the bartender continually reminds you with his “Wall of Paterson“ - this film is a quiet, gentle story that slowly warms you with simple displays of humanity. It centers around Adam Driver’s character, who is superb in this as the quiet bus driver who nonetheless people are drawn to, and whose daily routine sets the rhythmic, languid pace of the story.

Oft referenced are the poems of William Carlos Williams, who also called Paterson home, and whose poems seem to have directly influenced Jim Jarmusch’s approach to this film. A famous poem of his, and one that is spoken in the film, is the following:

This Is Just To Say
by William Carlos Williams

I have eaten
the plums
that were in
the icebox

and which
you were probably
saving
for breakfast

Forgive me
they were delicious
so sweet
and so cold

His poems often reflect the purity of the small moments in life, and that purity is what Jarmusch has captured in ‘Paterson’. Each day within the film reads similarly to a stand-alone vignette, similar to how ‘Stranger Than Paradise’ (1984) was told, but as the days build on each other, they weave themselves into a larger picture of the triumphs and struggles that make up our lives, no matter how big or small. (9/10)

‘A Quiet Passion (2016)’

Another film about a poet, this one featuring a well-known figure from history, ‘A Quiet Passion’ examines the life of Emily Dickinson. The opening scene sets the stage with a passionate yet controlled back and forth from a young Emily at boarding school pushing back against the evangelizing head mistress. The clever, sharp conversations continue throughout the film - the dialogue is delicious and should be savored, and to me recalled another sharply clever film, ‘Love & Friendship’, from earlier this year.

The film jumps through time often and is more of a series of scenes that brush upon the nature of her life and her character, rather than a biographical telling of all events that occurred. Between the bursts of quick conversations, beautiful long takes that sweep around rooms in a measured, quiet manner draw you in deeper to the atmosphere of the film. The direction is fantastic - Terrence Davies has created a magnificent work, and at the center of it is a stunning performance from Cynthia Nixon. I’ve never seen her in a role like this, and her brilliant balancing of Emily’s passionate intelligence with the inner struggle of worthlessness and anguish, leading to her eventual withdrawal into reclusiveness, is a performance that in a perfect world should have seen her on every awards watchlist. (8/10)

‘Chasing Coral (2017)’

I want to just write “WATCH THIS FILM” and leave it there, because it is important, and climate change isn’t a joke, nor should it be a politically charged issue, because science is real and denying it is dangerous. But on top of all that, this documentary is incredibly well-crafted, and takes you under the water to a crisis that in some ways is out of sight, out of mind for a majority of the world’s population. Even as someone who tries to stay on top of environmental issues, there were many things in the film that I didn’t know, and some things that suddenly cemented my understanding of the critical condition the earth is facing.

Through the film, the scientists and divers take time to explain what coral is, how it works, and how coral reefs contribute to the overall ecosystem of the planet. They show the changes that areas have gone through in the last twenty, thirty years - large sections of beautiful coral reefs disappearing due to rising ocean temperatures. And as a devastating finale, the team of scientists, divers, and photographers document two months of high temperatures in a section of the Great Barrier Reef. As I watched time-lapse footage of coral bleaching and dying, leaving nothing behind but death and barren rocks, I was overwhelmed. This is not political, this is happening, and it may be too late. So in all seriousness, pass along this film and really watch and listen to what it has to say.

And if you really can’t be bothered, here’s the illustration they used that really cemented what rising temperatures actually mean: Everyone is talking about 2 degrees Celsius rise, and how it is calamitous to the Earth’s climate. But two degrees sounds so small, a lot of people say, how can that make a difference? In the film, they put it this way - if you raise the human body temperature just two degrees Celsius, that means you would be running a fever of over 102 degrees Fahrenheit. Over a long period of time, that can kill you. So basically, a rise like that is giving the Earth a fever, one that will eventually harm or kill most of the living things on it. So yes, two degrees Celsius is pretty damn important. (9/10)

‘Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (2017)’

If you are looking for video game action, ridiculous adventure, and silly (yet well-timed) humor, then I would highly recommend this revisit of Jumanji. The film begins with the beating of the ominous drums, as the board game is discovered once more in 1996… and then promptly rejected by a kid who remarks ‘Who plays board games anymore?’ The crafty game, ever on the hunt for hapless players who will bind themselves to its jungle labyrinth (for reasons only it keeps to itself), transforms itself into a video game cartridge… and it’s back in business.

Flash forward to present day, where we meet a tamer version of ‘The Breakfast Club’ assembled for detention where they have to remove staples from old magazines set to be recycled. Side note: this is the most brilliant version of detention since the Captain America videos in ‘Spider-Man: Homecoming’. With no explanation (and none is really needed), the Jumanji video game has been wasting away on a shelf in the basement of the high school. Sensing prey like a Venus flytrap, the drums sound out, and curiosity kills the cat - that is to say, the kids blow off detention to play a twenty-year-old video game, and promptly find themselves sucked into the game itself.

This is what makes this movie fun: it never takes itself too seriously. The nods to the idiosyncrasies of video game play are plentiful - NPCs are used to comic effect, quest items appearing out of thin air aren’t shied away from, and basic gameplay facets (limited lives, strengths, weakness) are incorporated into the plot. On top of that, the motley crew of high schoolers are transformed into their avatars once inside the game, which gifts audiences with Jack Black playing a selfie-obsessed high school girl, and it’s hilarious.

The film works, it’s fun in all the right ways, I’d watch it again on a dull afternoon, and for those who are whining about it ‘ruining a classic film’… I worry about you. A lot. (7/10)

‘Darkest Hour (2017)’

It’s the perfect companion film to this year’s ‘Dunkirk’! If you want less soldiers and dying and more dithering politicians and old men in bathrobes, then this is the Dunkirk: 2.0 film you’ve been waiting for. Actually, this film is brilliantly done, it’s just funny that you tend to get topical entertainment in chunks for some reason these days. Nevertheless, ‘Darkest Hour’ hits the right dramatic notes and keeps tension running high, even though you already know how the actual Dunkirk rescue mission will end (and ultimately how Churchill will fare in the halls of history). Gary Oldman is spectacular - he disappears into the role, which isn’t a surprise - he’s one of the best actors of any generation by this point, and this is one of his finest performances yet. What’s really great about the film is that it is clearly building to the famous ‘we will fight on the beaches’ speech, and you spend a good two hours waiting for it, and when it finally arrives it still exceeds your expectations. It serves as the perfect climax, cinematically as well as story-wise, and ends the film on a rather rousing note. (8/10)

I must diverge slightly to mention something that came up while watching this film: Men should not do business in their bathrobes. They should not do business in the tub. It is inappropriate - it was back then and it is now, so saying ‘Churchill did it’ is not a valid reason or excuse, and while it is historically accurate to include that in the film, no one should take inspiration from his awful behavior.

‘Molly’s Game (2017)’

I was determined to squeeze this one in before the end of the year, so we made time to hit the theater this weekend before all the festivities (and between bowl games). Oh my goodness, I love Jessica Chastain so much right now. She has steadily climbed my list of favorite actresses, and now is solidly in the top five. She is fantastic in this film - she plays a ‘kickass woman who is against the odds (and by odds often we mean male expectations and power systems) and holds her own’ really well, and you might even say she’s being typecast now, but she’s so fantastic at it that I don’t feel like complaining.

The film is based on the true story of Molly Bloom, who was once an Olympic-class skier and later ran high stakes poker games in Los Angeles and New York. It’s the feature directorial debut from Aaron Sorkin, who also wrote the screenplay. From a directing standpoint, his instructs serve the story well - the film is told largely from a flashback point of view as Molly deals with legal repercussions in the present day. The script is true Sorkin - the writing is witty and entertaining, and Chastain makes the voiceovers engaging rather than cumbersome, which can sometimes happen with story structures like these. All in all, it was a great movie to end my year with! (8/10)

A few more notes… ‘Downsizing’ was just plain boring; Payne’s satire just missed the target completely this time… Yes, I counted ‘A Christmas Prince’ and ‘Christmas in Angel Falls’. I chose to include them AFTER I hit 365 for the year though, so there… ‘Call Me By Your Name’ is an incredibly beautiful film, and I just couldn’t find the right words for a longer review today. But it’s still amazing.

All Watched Films: 351 through 370

351. Sideways (2004)
352. The Trip to Spain (2017)
353. Paterson (2016)
354. The Shape of Water (2017)
355. Menashe (2017)
356. Detroit (2017)
357. A Quiet Passion (2016)
358. Call Me by Your Name (2017)
359. A Christmas Prince (2017)
360. Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (2017)
361. The Final Countdown (1980)
362. Christmas in Angel Falls (2017)
363. Pitch Perfect 3 (2017)
364. All the Money in the World (2017)
365. The Greatest Showman (2017)
366. Chasing Coral (2017)
367. The Red Turtle (2016)
368. Downsizing (2017)
369. Darkest Hour (2017)
370. Molly’s Game (2017)

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!! If you’ve missed any of my MovieADay updates, you can find them all here. I’ll be back with a personal wrap-up of the project, plus my movie plans for the new year, in a day or two!