This Is Probably The Only Top 25 Movies Of 2017 Video You'll Need
Every year, film critic David Ehrlich edits a video counting down his 25 favorite movies of the year. And every year, it manages to actually feel like one of the best movies of the year. Crafted with more care and precision that many movies actually released in theaters over the past 12 months, this video is a handy reminder of the great movies 2017 has given us...and a handy reminder of the great movies we haven't gotten around to seeing yet.
Full disclosure: I know David Ehrlich and have worked with him before. So if that little detail is enough to keep you from clicking on one of the best movie-centric videos you'll watch all year, all power to you.
As always, the star of this video is the precise editing, with carefully chosen images reacting to or reflecting one another. Too many internet videos, even skillfully made ones, are just a collage of cool shots. But this countdown, like Ehrlich's past work, is like watching a conversation unfold. The films of 2017 have a dialogue before your very eyes, forming a tapestry that is beautiful and sad and sometimes silly. It's powerful stuff, elevating the mere concept of "best of the year list" into an art form.
When I wrote about previous editions of this video series in 2015 and 2016 (click those links and give 'em a watch if you haven't been following them!), I noted that Ehrlich's taste doesn't always align with my own, but that the beauty of his editing and clever musical choices always make his countdowns a must-watch. However, for whatever reason, his 2017 list is the first in a long time (ever?) to feature a truly significant amount of overlap with my own. Get Out, The Big Sick, Baby Driver, and a number of other movies featured in this video are a lock for my best of the year list, which will run on /Film in about a month. In other words, this is, by default, my favorite of his videos so far. Good job justifying my tastes, David.
With 2017 winding down, the entire /Film team will soon be thinking about their end-of-the-year lists, so be on the lookout for those in the coming weeks. In the meantime, use this month to catch up with the movies you know you should see. Maybe even use this video as a guide. I know that's what I'm doing.