Best Reviewed Movies of 2017

The golden best from the silver screen

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When we redesigned our movie review section with a numerical score barometer jam-packed with custom emojis, we knew we'd have to up our game. The goal, as it were, was to feature a minimum of two new reviews a week. And though we sometimes faltered in this mission, we're proud to point out we saw a whole mess of films. These were, in our humble opinion, some of the best of 2017:

Fences Reviewed Jan. 3

We said: Denzel Washington makes Fences his own by practically disappearing into a career-defining performance and one of the finest films of this or any year.

Score: 9

I Am Not Your Negro Reviewed Feb. 14

We said: Take your children or your students; take yourselves for a refresher course in the tragic absurdity of such racially charged hatred. Prepare to be blown away.

Score: 10

Get Out Reviewed Feb. 28

We said: Get Out shines in its metered examination of tokenism, conditioned racism and even our societal expectations.

Score: 9

My Entire High School Sinking Into the Sea Reviewed April 25

We said: Hopefully, some weirdo kid out there who feels lost will look up at the screen and realize there's a whole world out there waiting for them.

Score: 9

The Hero Reviewed June 27

We said: This isn't easy to watch, but it does raise poignant questions, all the while cutting to the very core of universal self-doubt and our innate human need to feel we did OK with whatever limited time we may have had.

Score: 9

Dunkirk Reviewed July 23

We said: This isn't just one of the best war movies in recent memory, it's one that will no doubt be shown in schools and referred to forever as an artful depiction of one of the ugliest chapters in human history.

Score: 10

In the Pursuit of Silence Reviewed Sep. 5

We said: A ponderous, beautiful work that reminds us silence isn't possible to comprehend as the absence of sound, but the disruption of life's cacophony.

Score: 9

Only the Brave Reviewed Oct. 19

We said: Fire itself is a strong character in the story, and its rendering on the big screen is beautiful even as it is horrifying. By the time we're led to the Yarnell Hill Fire and we know what's coming next, the tears start to flow.

Score: 9

Lady Bird Reviewed Nov. 10

We said: A simple story told well shouldn't be so surprisingly refreshing and moving, and yet here we are. Brava.

Score: 10

The Breadwinner Reviewed Dec. 13

We said: One of the best, if not most harrowing, films this year, animated or not.

Score: 9