'The Florida Project', 'Three Billboards' among 2017's best films

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri/Fox Searchlight

And another year comes to a close. Inner turmoil about the state of the country and the values and norms we have long held have been thrown into chaos by a never stopping whirling dervish we call America. It was a strong year that had us more engaged - maybe too much? - as a society and more stubbornly steadfast. A more defined understanding of what we want our world to be was never made more clear until 2017 and it appeared on silver screens, and computer screens, all over the world.

The first movie to hold up a mirror to make us reflect on who we are was February's "Get Out", that awesome horror comedy film from first-time director Jordan Peele who created a crazy original story about racism in America. It opened the floodgates for a lot of films to tackle pertinent issues, and it wasn't confined to documentaries- just look at Steven Spielberg's star-studded "The Post" as a big F-you to the Trump Administration and Fatih Akin's overbearingly trite hate crime film "In The Fade".

After "Get Out" there was a bevy of selections that had so much to say about the world: We revisited the Detroit riots in "Detroit"; "BPM (Beats Per Minute)" looked at the effects of AIDS on a young population in early '90s Paris; and even "Lady Bird" revealed the socioeconomic impacts of a fragile post-9/11 world on a young girl and her family. Even though the former two options were just social pandering for low-hanging fruit and a couple of the worst films of the year, they were still important messages to be told.

That's not to say all films released this year were of critical social importance. We saw great sequels to fan favorite franchises ("Blade Runner 2049" and "Star Wars: The Last Jedi"), a double dose of LEGO movies, and even more Dwayne Johnson-led pictures - God help us all. There was a great mix of everything for people.

In picking my favorite films of the year I noticed the cultural awareness message that perfumed my selections. There was usually just enough there to reel you back into reality even when you tried to escape it. I was incredibly entertained by the steps these filmmakers took to make great art and using that medium to tell important stories. Without further ado, here he go.

5) Dunkirk/Faces Places/Lady Bird

Warner Bros.

Three incredibly different films, all just as amazing as the other. "Dunkirk" is a perfect action film that showcases the great confusion and hostility about being stuck in an active war zone (whether it be land, air or sea). Christopher Nolan created a concentrated war picture about rescuing British soldiers from the Dunkirk beaches in WWII that sets a precedent for how future war films should be made. It was breathtaking and exhilarating right down to your toes. There's no one who can make an action picture like Nolan.

Faces Places/Cohen Media Group

Then there's Agnes Varda and JR's absolutely charming documentary "Faces Places (Visages Villages)". They pack up their mobile photo processing lab and take the most gorgeous, larger than life portraits that paint the French countryside and industrial areas. The over 50-year age gap between its beautiful filmmakers creates a friendship that is full of love and a passion for art. I love everything this movie has to say about building relationships with new and old friends and how art brings us all together. This is the sweetest movie of the year.

Finally, Greta Gerwig's universally acclaimed debut feature "Lady Bird". There is so much to like about this comedy of a high school student trying to find what her life is all about while dealing with a hard ass mother. Saoirse Ronan continues to impress as a young leading lady with her turn as the titular character. TV veteran Laurie Metcalf is particularly good as Lady Bird's domineering mom. Their bond and evolution throughout is what drives this movie. Being a teenager sucks, being the mother of a teenager sucks, too, yet through all of the arguing and bumpy times there are bounds of happy moments to be had together. Most importantly, it's OK to admit you love each other.

4) The Florida Project

A24

This was a truly special film. In a year with outstanding performances by child actors, "The Florida Project" really took the cake. The adventures of a small gaggle of adorably awful kids, and their reckless parents, on the outskirts of Walt Disney World was fiercely engrossing. This pastel-dipped drama was thin on plot but writer/director Sean Baker infused a lingering energy that kept you enamored with these fractured people, and a nice string of laughs didn't hurt, either. "The Florida Project" is a small film with a big emotional impact.

3) I, Tonya 

NEON

"I, Tonya" features some of the trashiest characters you've ever seen, and the sad part is they're based on real people. This comedic interpretation of former figure skater Tonya Harding's life is such a funny film about the most low class situation in modern sports history you'd think it was a John Waters movie. Harding's story of abuse at the hands of her mother and (first) husband is no laughing matter and you see how much Harding had to fight everyone's expectations to be one of the best figure skaters in the world. The social commentaries about tabloid journalism and fighting through adversary were prominent  and provided the heft to a very funny movie. Characters so cartoonishly real as those in "I, Tonya" will make you laugh, wince, and laugh some more. Three cheers for this stunningly articulate achievement that was equal parts comedy, docudrama, sports film, tabloid film and a whole lot more. 

2) Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Fox Searchlight

"Three Billboards" is a very, VERY dark comedy. A dramatic story about a woman resorting to non-violent, freedom of speech protest on the local police department for their "lackluster" investigation into her daughter's rape and murder is devilishly funny, too. It could not have come at a better time when the relationship between the public and police is under constant scrutiny. We want the police to do their jobs, especially when we are the victim. "Three Billboards" taps into the anger of how it feels to be part of an unsolved crime. It feels good to watch Frances McDormand viciously go about vindicating her daughter because she should have closure. But we also want to make sure that the police don't pick up a random person to give her that peace of mind. How do you know the police is doing all they can when you think they're not doing enough? This was a biting reflection on society and how the public deals with law enforcement and vice versa.

1) Ex Libris- The New York Public Library

Zipporah

No film was more enjoyable, or more important, in 2017 than "Ex Libris- The New York Public Library," an almost 200-minute documentary committed to the most important community resource: the library. By going into the biggest library system in the country, expert documentary filmmaker Frederick Wiseman shows the ways libraries have evolved into more than a place provides access to books. They're all about concerts, seminars, after-school learning and employment resources too. I learned more about the operations of libraries than I ever thought possible because it's not just about picking a book and checking it out. A lot of thought goes into what our communities, and its varied populations, need and the leadership of the NYPL understand that. They want to retain what's already available and expand on what will be needed. As society changes, the library does, too. Anything you want to learn can be discovered at a library; Anything you want to learn about libraries and their resilience is in this film. This was one of the most awesome movies I've seen in a long time.

Other great films of the year: Blade Runner 2049, Brimstone & Glory, Get Out, Graduation, The Killing of a Sacred Deer, Lady Macbeth, mother!, Princess Cyd, and The Shape of Water.

Disappointments of the year: In the Fade, The Post