As 2017 continues to march towards its conclusion, more awards boards, film institutions and media outlets will be providing their take on just what their solid top 10 rankings of the year's films are. Everyone does it, and it's a celebrated tradition that falls right in with egg nog, writing your resolutions and trying to see Star Wars with as many friends as possible. Well, the American Film Institute has ranked in with their top 10 for the year that was, and you can see that list below:
AFI Top 10 of 2017The Big SickCall Me by Your NameDunkirkThe Florida ProjectGet OutLady BirdThe PostThe Shape of WaterThree Billboards Outside Ebbing, MissouriWonder Woman
Now one big thing to keep in mind is that the AFI doesn't rank their favorites of the year. Rather, they list them in alphabetical order, in lieu of trying to rank their favorites in a preferential order. With that in mind, this list is a welcome mix of the usual end of the year fare that sticks out in the minds of the film criticism community, as well as some standouts that made a name for themselves earlier in the year.
In the corner of the predictable, films like Steven Spielberg's The Post, Martin McDonaugh's Three Billboards Outside of Ebbing, Missouri, and Guillermo del Toro's The Shape of Water were all mentioned as honored films. Not to mention, festival favorites like Call Me By Your Name and The Florida Project, as well as early fall delights like Lady Bird, all made their way to safety on the list. But perhaps the biggest surprises came from the films that built a cloud of steam earlier in the year, despite the possibility of later year prestige players pushing them out of the game.
The biggest example of such a contender is Jordan Peele's Get Out, a film that cleaned up with critics and audience members in February of this year, shortly before Logan was starting to win folks over into thinking it would last as one of the year's top films. While some are still talking about the latter film, the former has proved to have strong legs throughout 2017, and seems poised to be one of the possible outside candidates for top honors this year. Three other early risers, The Big Sick, Wonder Woman and Dunkirk bring up the metaphorical rear, rounding out a field of 10 films worthy of distinction.
Just how much the list of the AFI's Top 10 of 2017, as reported by THR, will manage to shape the 2018 Oscar race is yet to be seen. But what can already be observed is the fact that the compliment of films we've run through are a healthy mix of both your usual trophy chasers and mass appeal hits that pushed the public to the theater at various points of the year. These crowned cinematic children will be honored at the AFI's annual luncheon, scheduled to be held on January 5, 2018. But if you're interested in seeing when these films had their theatrical run, you can head on over to the 2017 release schedule to see what's already out and what's coming to town.
