Before I publish my entire Best and Worst of 2017 list - and that's gonna be next Sunday - there is still one more separate list to publish. Most of these shots are pretty self explanatory but if I had additional thoughts or explanation I added that. Here are my choices for 35 best shots of 2017:
35. Jimmy's daughter sings, Logan Lucky
34. The past, Split
33. The chase, Thor: Ragnarok
32. The creature, It
At one point of It's chilling opening scene the creature simply freezes for few moments and the playful banter with the boy stops. The boy is confused and It is just standing there, drool coming out of its mouth. It's one of the creepiest moments in the movie.
31. Blood, Wind River
30. Complete, The Shape of Water
29. One, Colossal
28. The plea, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
27. The losers, It
26. Mother, Trainspotting 2
25. Wasteland, Blade Runner 2049
24. The kids, The Florida Project
23. The dance, The Shape of Water
22. Joy, Blade Runner 2049
21. I'm here, Stronger
20. The question, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
19. The creepy librarian, It
I don't think anyone involved with the movie explained it, but when one of the kids is reading in the library, there is a librarian behind him, out of focus, who turns around and just starts staring at him. It's very unsettling and it's not signaled to the audience with music cue or the close up. She just stands there, looking at him.18. The sunken place, Get Out
17. Tonya, I, Tonya
16. Laura's power, Logan
15. Everything you want, Blade Runner 2049
14. Farrier's plane, Dunkirk
13. The eels, A Cure for Wellness
12. Laura, Logan
11. Wonder Woman's wrath, Wonder Woman
10. No one knows how many, Wind River
9. The tub, Atomic Blonde
8. No Man's Land, Wonder Woman
7. No more guns in the valley, Logan
6. The third billboard, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
5. Jason, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Jason has blood on his hands that was spilled, probably for the very first time in his life, for a good cause. He is on the floor, using his last strength to do something good while his mother is wailing outside and he keeps calming her down. It's one of the most powerful moments in the film and it is such a beautifully composed shot.
4. Logan among the dead, Logan
3. Farrier, Dunkirk
2. People who love each other..., Logan
1. ....a home, Logan
I love your #1 shot! That's my favorite shot in Logan. Great list, I love seeing It in here a few times. That film almost made my Top 10.
ReplyDeleteThat is just such a gorgeous shot and it's so symbolic too. The film has so many of these I could probably fill the entire list just with Logan
DeleteI love this list. That Pennywise scene at the beginning of It was one of the few things that worked for me in that movie.
ReplyDeleteYeah, same here. I really loved all those creepy moments but the film as a whole didn't quite work for me
DeleteOh, that is a good list. I love that picture in I, Tonya and that image in A Cure for Wellness which I thought was alright. It's got some flaws but enough moments to think it was pretty good.
ReplyDeleteI really liked ACfW's cinematography and atmosphere but that kid shouldn't play leads. He was OK here and was well cast in the role but he has absolutely no charisma
DeleteThe most beautiful post of 2017 (or I guess 2018?) <3
ReplyDeleteOww, thank you! :)
DeleteBeautiful list! Number 10, man, that gives me the creeps. It's not as powerful as that closing scene for Spotlight where that list appeared, but man, it's just as heartbreaking.
ReplyDeleteNot sure if I'd even know of a scene to add here, it seems perfect as it is!
Thank you! Yeah that was such a punch, how is that even possible?! It's such an awful fact.
DeleteThis is fantastic. LOVE that Soderbergh (ahem, Peter Andrews) gets some love right away. Oh god, 21. That shot fucking gutted me.
ReplyDelete10 GREAT call. The isolation of the shot, the devastating card. Ugh. And you and I have talked about 3 a lot, and that thing still hits. What flawless composition.
Dunkirk is so brilliantly shot. Deakins needs to win this year, because what the fuck, but Dunkirk's cinematography was outstanding
DeleteI absolutely love this post. All the shots of Logan make me more upset that the Academy didn't give it more attention that it deserved. I also loved all the Blade Runner 2049 shots despite not being a huge fan of the movie...I can't deny it's stunning to behold.
ReplyDeleteThank you! Yeah it's a travesty it only got the one nomination :/
DeleteOoh so many great ones! All the Logan ones, Get Out, your number #3 from Dunkirk - that movie has such a simple, clean look to it but so powerful.
ReplyDeleteThank you! Yes, that's a great way to describe the way Dunkirk looks! And it's still so breathtaking, I just had to see it twice in the cinema
DeleteGreat post! I loved how visually stunning Blade Runner 2049 is, so many great ones there. That shot of I, Tonya is iconic for the film - one of its memorable frames.
ReplyDeleteThank you! Yes that I, Tonya shot is iconic instantly!
DeleteMy favorite thing about the library scene in It (which is probably my favorite scene in the movie after the opening) is how randomly people become frozen in the background while the kid is reading. I didn't find the movie all that "scary" on the whole, but it was really creepy, and that scene was the creepiest.
ReplyDeleteIf I did a post like this, I'd probably pick one shot from every new location in Blade Runner 2049. That movie is so freaking gorgeous.
Yeah that was super creepy! I thought it was mostly because there was no explanation for it and no signal like scary music signalizing there is something off in the shot
DeleteSome great moments you picked from 2017! The shots from Blade Runner and Dunkirk are my favorites for the visuals.
ReplyDeleteEmotionally that moment (#10) from Wind River lingers in the mind, very impactful.
Thank you! Dunkirk had so many spectacular shots but these two really stayed with me
DeleteLoving the Logan love. #7 may be my own personal pick. Certainly the best closing shot of the year, if nothing else.
ReplyDeleteDunkirk would be close if they ended on the plane and not that close up of the kid
DeleteAwesome picks! I love seeing Ryan on this list so much. All of the Logan ones gets me right in the feels.
ReplyDeleteThank you! Well, it's only Ryan's back :)
DeleteI'm with you on the pics, tho there are some I can think of that I loved, mainly from Yorgos' last film. Great list, looking forward to your best of. I'll be composing mine too, keep an eye out =)
ReplyDeleteI also re-did a review for Logan. I think you'll like it =)\
BTW, I did a post on the IDL soundtrack. Have a look if you want, it is just incredible.
https://epilepticmoondancer.net/2015/03/16/monday-moovies-n-musak-inside-llweyn-davis-part-i/
Yorgos is just not for me. Same as PTA, too bizarre and disconnected.
Deleteoh and the bottom one for Logan is incredible for suuuuuuure
ReplyDeleteSome truly gorgeous and impressive shots. I love the visual arts and your blog is so good at highlighting them.
ReplyDeleteI don't even know where to begin with these (I'm overcome that I've seen almost all of them - holy shit!).
ReplyDeleteDespite not really *loving* the film, I think the three you've included from IT are f--king fantastic. The initial meetup with Pennywise was so incredibly creepy. Just like the librarian. Yikes.
Of your Logan picks, #16 might actually be my favorite. It's so prefectly unbalanced, I love it. It doesn't have the emotional weight of your other selections, but it's amazing anyway.
I didn't see Blade Runner...which sucks, but every frame I've been shown seems like my eyeballs are going to fall out of my ass. It's almost like Jesus himself had something to do with it.
Uh, what with the eels? Should I be horrified, or turned on? Perhaps both???
You should see that eels movie. Since you sat through Valerian whatever mister Black Hole of No Charisma does here will not be as awful for you because you already experienced it once. And the film is seriously creepy. It's a mess, but it's interesting mess.
DeleteGreat list! No.10 from Wind River is so devastating... My other faves from your list are the other one from Wind River (there is something truly unique about the effect of blood tracks on the snow) number 30 from The shape of water, 25 from Blade Runner, 12 from Logan, 11 from Wonder Woman and 9 from Atomic Blonde. That shot with the bathtub and the city outside the window is my favorite, stunning.
ReplyDeleteThank you! I love the cinematography and production design of Atomic Blonde. It was such a stunning movie and it had terrific atmosphere
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