Top films of 2017 ‘Dunkirk,’ ‘Lady Bird’ top the list

LINDSEY BAHR

AP Film Writer

1 “Dunkirk”: I’m not sure I’ve ever been so wholly transported by and viscerally engaged in a theatergoing experience as I was watching Christopher Nolan’s masterpiece “Dunkirk,” but the filmmaker continues to innovatively use the generous budgets his success has afforded him to push the envelope of immersive cinema and storytelling.

2 “Lady Bird”: Thank you, Greta Gerwig, for introducing us to Lady Bird, her mother Marion, her friend Julie, her boyfriends Kyle and Danny, her brother Miguel and his girlfriend Shelly, her father Larry and all the other wonderfully complex humans who populate the world around a selfish, but also evolving, Sacramento teenager’s life. “Lady Bird” is one of those instant classics, one you want to start again as soon as it’s over.

3 “mother!”: What controversy? Darren Aronofsky’s “mother!” is a thrilling and provocative riot. Don’t be scared off by THAT scene because Jennifer Lawrence is excellent in the straightforward but riveting biblical allegory (that can also be about whatever you want – narcissistic artists, the subjugation of women, the environment).

4 “Call Me By Your Name”: There aren’t a lot of truly sexy movies nowadays, which is just one of the many reasons Italian filmmaker Luca Guadagnino’s “Call Me By Your Name” stands out among the rest. Deliciously indulgent in every possible way, it is a lovely, decadent time falling in love with Elio (Timothee Chalamet) and Oliver (Armie Hammer) over the course of one pretty, wistful summer.

5 “The Florida Project”: Director Sean Baker is so good at showing us pockets of our world that most of us either don’t see or don’t want to see, and painting portraits of its inhabitants that manage to be both empathetic and unflinching. This time his subjects are the so-called “hidden homeless” living on the outskirts of Orlando in a low-rent motel, featuring an all-timer nice guy performance from Willem Dafoe and some truly exciting acting discoveries in the young Brooklynn Prince and Bria Vinaite.

6 “Get Out”: This film isn’t your standard horror, and that’s what makes it great. Writer-director Jordan Peele brilliantly weaved poignant social commentary into a top-notch genre pic – a tricky thing to do, especially when it’s your directorial debut. With it, the man who had previously been known as a comedian and actor made himself a must-follow filmmaker, too.

7 “Phantom Thread”: Paul Thomas Anderson went relatively small for his latest effort, a funny and wry chamber drama dressed up in couture. Vicky Krieps is a true find and holds her own and then some opposite Daniel Day-Lewis as his muse and source of occasional annoyance. It’s also possibly Day-Lewis’ last performance. Thankfully, it’s a very good one.

8 “Wonder Woman”: Patty Jenkins deserves all the credit in the world for doing right by “Wonder Woman,” which she molded into a highly enjoyable, warm-hearted and action-packed origin story about the Amazonian princess, who is perfectly embodied by Gal Gadot. This one, I imagine, will impact generations to come.

9 “Jane”: Director Brett Morgen uses never-before-seen National Geographic footage to craft a loving tribute to the extraordinary life of Jane Goodall, given extra grandeur from a stimulating Philip Glass score.

22222Honorable Mentions: “Good Time,” “The Disaster Artist,” “I, Tonya,” “Their Finest,” “Song to Song.”