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Best and Worst Films from October 2017

Best Films from October 2017:

3. Of Mice and Men

I also could have put ‘Annabelle: Creation’ in this third place, but that would mean three movies form 2017 would be on the list which is too much and thus this a bit older movie gets the spot. And it more than deserved it as it is such a phenomenal adaptation of a great novel which trumps the previous cinematic adaptation by large. It features superb performances, an excellent attention to detail and an ending which is even better than in the source material.

2. Ingrid Goes West

Ingrid Goes West is a remarkable achievement as a dramedy that works superbly in both of its departments and that truly is rare. Aubrey Plaza is great here, but the cringe humor is excellent and so funny how awkward the situations are. The drama is thoughtful and again very difficult to watch. It is a brilliant satire on Instagram, social media and overall how humans are constantly pretending and acting in front of others. Very relatable and honest.

1. Beatriz at Dinner

And the best movie I’ve seen all month is this indie flick. John Lithgow is truly remarkable in such a villainous role, but it is Selma Hayek who excelled in the main role and gave one of the year’s best performances. This is again a movie about darkness in humans and I sympathized with the protagonist and her problems. The dialogue is stupendous here, the themes are rich and clever and it ends on a heartbreaking note. A very observational, unfortunately underseen indie gem.

Worst Films from October 2017:

3. Girls Trip

I actually had a very good month and thus only the first place here is a bad, mediocre film. The other two are pretty solid including Girls Trip which is very well acted with Tiffany Haddish being the highlight. This comedy is funny and with a great dynamic between its actresses. However, it is very overrated as it is rarely truly hilarious, it was forced at times and the inclusion of that unnecessary cheating storyline hurt it tremendously.

2. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales

Dead Men Tell No Tales is also a solid film and an improvement over the previous Pirates entry. It has a great, moving ending, some fun scenes and solid new characters. But it still has a lot of problems such as very poor pacing and structure, a story that is solid but underutilized in too many of its plot points and an unfortunate restraint when it comes to Jack as he is not too much present here. Did not like that choice at all as he should always be at the center.

1. Annabelle

And by far the worst and only truly weak movie I’ve seen during this month is the first Annabelle. This is a very mediocre movie that is somewhat competently made, but weakly acted and weirdly lacking in terms of scares and true horror elements and action. It also features an absolutely infuriating ending that really was frustrating to sit through. But above all else it is terribly boring and uninspired and thus it gets this first spot in the worst department. Thankfully the sequel is not only much better, but actually great.