As 2017 draws to a close, it’s almost time to look back on the past 12 months and cherry-pick the very best of what cinema had to offer – to identify those films that made our eyes widen and hearts soar.
Traditionally, those year-end reviews and timely retrospectives begin clogging up the pipes of social media in December, but the National Board of Review has got the ball rolling early with its eagerly-anticipated top 10 list. Oscar-tipped drama The Post took home the big prize after being crowned 2017’s best film, while Tom Hanks and Meryl Streep also collected Best Actor and Best Actress, respectively, for their performances in the true-life drama.
But perhaps most exciting of all, the critics group also named Logan, James Mangold’s R-rated masterpiece, among 2017’s top 10 releases. That places the superhero pic in the company of greatness, given the NBR also shortlisted Baby Driver, Call Me By Your Name, The Disaster Artist, Alexander Payne’s Downsizing, WWII epic Dunkirk, The Florida Project, Jordan Peele’s lauded horror hit Get Out, Lady Bird and, finally, Phantom Thread.
Will this signal the beginning of Logan‘s Oscar campaign? As you’ll no doubt recall, 20th Century Fox staged a similar push for Deadpool back in 2016, when the Tim Miller-directed romp eventually scored Best Actor and Best Picture nominations at the Golden Globes.
We can only hope Logan is given the same level of recognition – hell, everyone involved in the creation of Hugh Jackman’s last hurrah are also pulling for Patrick Stewart to receive an Oscar nod for Best Supporting Actor. Our fingers and toes are crossed.
Here’s the full rundown of the NBR’s winners, with Wonder Woman duo Patty Jenkins and Gal Gadot receiving the Spotlight Award for their contribution to Diana Prince’s fantastical origins story.
BEST FILM
The Post
BEST DIRECTOR
Greta Gerwig, Lady Bird
BEST DIRECTORIAL DEBUT
Jordan Peele, Get Out
BEST CAST ENSEMBLE
Get Out
BEST ACTOR
Tom Hanks, The Post
BEST ACTRESS
Meryl Streep, The Post
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Willem Dafoe, The Florida Project
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Laurie Metcalf, Lady Bird
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
Coco (Disney/Pixar)
BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMANCE
Timothée Chalamet, Call Me By Your Name
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Phantom Thread, Paul Thomas Anderson
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
The Disaster Artist (Scott Neustadter & Michael H. Weber)
SPOTLIGHT AWARD
Wonder Woman director Patty Jenkins and actor Gal Gadot
The 2017 honorees will be feted at the annual National Board of Review awards gala on January 9th, 2018. Meanwhile, James Mangold and comic book scribe Craig Kyle are beginning to flesh out a Logan spinoff for X-23, the young mutant brought to life with real intensity by Dafne Keen.