I've always made the case for the division of labor in music. By that I mean, often artists who just sing and don't write their own music get a bad rap. But it is a spectacular thing to just be able to sing incredibly. Perhaps if we allowed the writers to just write, we'd have a lot less weak voices on the radio. But I digress. I say all that to somewhat contradict myself here. The phrase you'll see in nearly each one of the blurbs below is "writer/director." Perhaps this is true of my other Top 10 Movies lists from years past, but this is the year I noticed that the best films have coalesced under the singular vision of an auteur. Maybe it's just a coincidence, or maybe it isn't.
Here are some stats. I watched 93 new released this year. I saw 53 of those in the theaters. Two of those movies I saw twice in theaters in 2017 (Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and The Last Ledi) bringing my total number of trips to the movies to 55. I am VERY thankful for MoviePass.
10 Best Movies of 2017
1. Phantom Thread
★★★★★★★★★★ 10/10
Phantom Thread has everything you'd expect from a work of cinematic art: great characters, excellent performances, gorgeous cinematography, a perfectly matched score, and a genius director (Paul Thomas Anderson) at the helm. But what really makes this film incredible and the absolute best of the year is the story itself. About halfway through, Phantom Thread takes a turn from a decadent story about troubled love toward something a bit weirder. It's an unexpected pivot, but that's why it's so perfect. Phantom Thread is about people who seem incapable of loving, and just to what extremes they're willing to go to experience it, even if that means love as we know it becomes unrecognizable in their context.
2. The Killing of a Sacred Deer
★★★★★★★★★☆ 9/10
Like Phantom Thread, The Killing of a Sacred Deer dabbles in weirdness, but it's at a 10 on the weird spectrum right out the gate. Then through some magic employed by writer/director Yorgos Lanthimos, the film cranks it up to 11. It's a story about some unexplainable sorcery that young Martin (Barry Keoghan) uses to inflict suffering on the Murphy's (Colin Ferrell and Nicole Kidman) and their children. And as the family falls deeper in the hole Martin created, the whole family begins to transform. But what they become isn't something as simple as evil. They become increasingly desperate and the film becomes increasingly intense.
3. A Ghost Story
★★★★★★★★★☆ 9/10
The ghost, literally Casey Affleck draped in a giant sheet, in A Ghost Story is a terrifying image to behold because of what it represents. This near-perfect film plays on our fear of death to create a haunting experience. It's one thing to explore the idea of the living's inability to move on after the death of a loved one, but a wholly original concept to imagine the dead not being able move on. And if it weren't enough to expand our ideas of death and the afterlife, writer/director David Lowery plays with our sense of time as well. It's creative filmmaking at its finest.
4. Mudbound
★★★★★★★★★☆ 9/10
Mudbound is a film so effective at presenting sorrow that it's difficult to watch. It's about a white family that moves to a farm in Mississippi and a family of black sharecroppers tending to that same farmland. Without being brashly overt, the film is a smart look at how white people relish and exercise their whiteness, and how black people have been forced to deal with it for hundreds of years. The cast is phenomenal, with a shockingly moving performance from singer Mary J. Blige. Co-writer/director Dee Rees is a master at work showing us, through an intense look at six characters' lives, how through it all black Americans have held on to their hope in an ultimate act of defiance.
5. Nocturama
★★★★★★★★★☆ 9/10
Nocturama is a French film about a group of young, charismatic French terrorists. Everything about it is subversive to a point that it may understandably ruffle some feathers because of its subject matter. But it is quite the feat to create a both terrifying and entertaining film, with a relatively sympathetic view of a group of terrorists. These kids, not tied to any single ideology, but fed up with their society, spend the night after their attack hiding in an evacuated mall as the world outside deals with the fallout of their actions. Make no mistake, writer/director Bertrand Bonello clearly makes the case that these terrorists are stupid and horribly misguided, but he also, in a world where it's much easier to tell tragic stories in black and white, gives the terrorists personality and heart. It's seems impossible, but he pulls it off with incredible skill.
6. Get Out
★★★★★★★★★☆ 9/10
Jordan Peele shows us a completely different side of himself as the auteur behind Get Out. The writer/director has created a spot on commentary about race in America that rings so true it resonated with audiences far beyond expectations. The movie is both intense and funny, sometimes simultaneously, but more than anything it's an incredibly sharp critique of America that's sure to make some people uncomfortable. Fortunately one's discomfort has no bearing on the truth of the matter.
7. Coco
★★★★★★★★★☆ 9/10
At this stage in human history we ought to know that animated films can reach the same emotional heights as any other work of art, but for some reason I am still shocked by the fact that something created primarily for the entertainment of children can reduce this grown man to a blubbering fool. The way in which Disney/Pixar represents Mexican culture, the creativity they bring to Dia De Los Muertos, and the genuine emotion elicited by Coco's beautiful story is nothing short of astounding.
8. The Big Sick
★★★★★★★★★☆ 9/10
The Big Sick is a delightful film that deals with very heavy things (serious illness, religious duty) with a feeling of effortlessness. The real-life story of comedian Kumail Nanjiani (who plays himself) and co-writer Emily Gordon's meeting is also remarkable for what it isn't. It isn't nearly as self-obsessed as most other films about comedians, and it doesn't greet life-threatening illness with melodrama. Instead it surprises us by showcasing the unsuspected friendship between Kumail and Emily's parents and explores the burden of family tradition.
9. Lady Bird
★★★★★★★★☆☆ 8/10
Greta Gerwig (writer/director) and Saoirse Ronan (lead actor) are a match made in indie Hollywood heaven. Both have been part of some of my absolute favorite films over the years (Frances Ha, Brooklyn just to name two). So when it was announced that Ronan would star in Gerwig's first turn as a director, the hype in my own mind could not have been higher. And thankfully the film does not disappoint. Lady Bird carries the same wit and tone we've seen in film's Gerwig has starred in, but with her at the reigns we get a window into her soul as she shows us the painful and endlessly funny rollercoaster that is the life of a teenage Catholic school rebel. In addition to Ronan, Beanie Feldstein (who plays Lady Bird's best friend) is a standout. But it's the relationship between Lady Bird and her mother (Laurie Metcalf) that elevates this movie to one of the best of the year.
10. The Disaster Artist
★★★★★★★★☆☆ 8/10
Director and star James Franco very smartly tells the tale of Tommy Wiseau, the elusive creative, if he can be called that, who made The Room, often hailed as the worst movie ever. There's a lot to make fun of with Wiseau, but what makes this film successful is the way in which Franco goes for the laughs while also humanizing him enough to bring a surprising level of sincerity to the film.
I started choosing my favorite film back in 2011. Here are the past winners:
2016: Sing Street
2015: Mad Max: Fury Road
2014: Selma and Boyhood (tied)
2013: Frances Ha
2012: Silver Lining's Playbook
2011: Drive
I have a confession to make. These aren’t necessarily the absolute worst movies of the year. There are quite a few Netflix original films and movies that Netflix acquired that were worse than many on this list. But I tried to choose films that made the attempt to play on the movie main stage and therefore ought to be held to the high standards we hold all other films. That’s why Bright, Will Smith’s horrific Netflix original film is on this list, as opposed to, say, Coin Heist or iBoy.
10 Worst Movies of 2017
10. Beauty and the Beast
★★★★★★☆☆☆☆ 6/10
My initial thought is to appraise this film as a money grabber. The film is an obvious blockbuster, playing on people's nostalgic weaknesses, but without the thoughtfulness to make it an engaging revamp. But a simple money grab isn't usually a tactic for most of Disney's divisions. So all I can say is that it was an attempt to make a decent movie that went horribly wrong. From casting the weak-voiced Emma Watson, to the complete lack of magic despite the expensive CGI budget, 2017’s Beauty and the Beast live action remake doesn’t begin to reach the heights of the original animated feature.
9. Landline
★★★★★☆☆☆☆☆ 5/10
This indie family drama doesn’t amount to much, which is a true shame as it comes from the same mind that created Obvious Child. The film is about sisters, and parents, and spouses and the affianced. It’s supposed to be both funny and poignant, but it honestly just feels like one of those movies that you'd rather not recommend because it’s “meh.”
8. Justice League
★★★★★☆☆☆☆☆ 5/10
Wonder Woman gave us a glimmer of hope for a revitalization of the DC Extended Universe, but Justice League squandered any dreams for Warner Bros. getting back on track with these iconic characters. One positive was getting introduced to a host of new, yet familiar, heroes lifted from the pages of the comics. But the excitement the studio tried to drum up from those intros isn’t close to enough to justify the film’s existence. The plot is tediously unwatchable and emotionless. And then there’s Superman, who unsurprisingly returns from the dead. After seeing him in two films before this one, it feels like we somehow know less about him than we did before this iteration of the hero was ever introduced.
7. The Only Living Boy in New York
★★★★★☆☆☆☆☆ 5/10
It comes down to this, the “living boy” from the title feels dead just like the film on the whole. He’s no fun, and neither his is old neighbor (Jeff Bridges) who spews silly lines that masquerade as wisdom. The 20-something allegedly “living boy” discovers his father is having an affair with a woman, and then ends up having his own fling with that same woman. It desperately wishes to be one of the earlier Woody Allen films, but lacks the wit, characters, or story to carry it.
6. King Arthur: Legend of the Sword
★★★★★☆☆☆☆☆ 5/10
If wild creativity is what I’ve praised the most this year in my film reviews, I think the lack of soulfulness is what characterizes this list of worst films. And by that I simply mean the stories being told inspire nothing resembling an emotion. King Arthur is so run-of-the-mill and uninspired that it can’t hope to interest anyone.
5. The Ottoman Lieutenant
★★★★★☆☆☆☆☆ 5/10
This film is one of the more baffling ones. It feels like an international epic that could have been a huge success in the ‘80s. It’s a historical drama about wartime while also being a sweeping tale of forbidden romance and unrequited love. The problem is that none of it works even a little bit. Another film, The Lost City of Z, similarly feels like a grand film from a different era, but where that much better film reminds you of what was great about that type of film that so rarely gets made anymore, The Ottoman Lieutenant makes you wonder how these types of films were ever made back when they were en vogue.
4. Bright
★★★★☆☆☆☆☆☆ 4/10
Bright is part gritty cop drama, part fantasy film, but it doesn't succeed in either regard. Smith is a foul-mouthed cop who has the misfortune, in his opinion, of being partners with the department’s first Ork cop. Obviously the movie is borrowing from other stories which is fine, but at the end of the day, even though the combination of genres is new, the film is so derivative that it can't even effectively make its elementary point about racism. On top of all that is truly awful about the film is the fact that it’s incredibly corny.
3. Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets
★★★★☆☆☆☆☆☆ 4/10
If the film stopped after the first 10 minutes, we’d have a decent science fiction film on our hands. The beginning sequence is colorful, bold, imaginative and contains the best acting, acquired through motion capture, in the film. Too bad this isn’t where we stay or ever return. Instead we get introduced to our main players, Major Valerian (Dane DeHaan) and Sergeant Laureline (Cara Delevingne) who are on a quest to… honestly I don’t remember. What I do remember is the complete lack of chemistry between Valerian and Laureline despite his constant professions of love. And where celebrity cameos are normally fun in average-to-good movies, the cameos here (from Rihanna and pianist Herbie Hancock) feel bizarre. The rest of the movie, upwards of two hours, is one big hot mess.
2. The Great Wall
★★★★☆☆☆☆☆☆ 4/10
Ah Matt Damon, how far the mighty have fallen in 12 months. The Great Wall is how Damon started his year, and of course he’s ending it looking like a fool mansplaining the intricacies of sexual assault to women who’ve experienced it. But back to the film. Nothing about The Great Wall is interesting. The film is a cheap imitation of Asian action cinema. It pretends to be operating on a epic scale without a single epic idea.
1. A Cure for Wellness
★★★☆☆☆☆☆☆☆ 3/10
I believe in Dane DeHaan’s talent, but this has not been a good year for him. He stars again in A Cure for Wellness, which is a completely different film than the one advertised. Gore Verbinski’s overlong jumble of thoughts seems like it’s a sophisticated mystery about weird stuff happening at an in-patient wellness center, but it devolves into an incoherent fantastical mess. The film, from a tonal perspective to very basic storytelling, makes no sense. It’s the kind of film that makes you anxious and frustrated that you’re watching it at all. If I hadn’t paid to see it in theaters I don’t think I would have made it to the end.
Most of the shows on this list are new because I tend to not give bad shows another go after they disappoint. But what’s funny is that I still completed most of these seasons because I like finishing what I start. This list represents many torturous hours I spent wishing television, the whole enterprise, didn’t exist.
Worst of TV
Still Star-Crossed (ABC)
An imagined Shakespearian drama from Shonda Rhimes picking up where Romeo and Juliet left off, Still Star-Crossed is hindered by a budget too small for a period piece and by far the worst acting of the year. I think I made it through three episodes.
The Last Tycoon (Amazon)
There seems to be some confusion about how this, the platinum age of television, works. Certainly big stars are dabbling in prestige television more than ever, but The Last Tycoon seems to think getting a star like Kelsey Grammar to be in a period drama about a nostalgic time will automatically make for good television. It does not.
Gypsy (Netflix)
A series so baffling it’s hard to believe it exists. Naomi Watts plays a therapist who pretends to be other people to infiltrate her patients’ lives. But ultimately what is the point of this whole show? You stick around because you assume at some point there will be a point, but there isn’t.
The Get Down Pt. 2 (Netflix)
Part 1 of this expensive and beautifully diverse show was decent enough to make us patiently wait for Part 2. But Part 2 was such an inexcusable mess. The show proves once and for all that Baz Luhrman needs look up the words restraint and streamline.
Iron Fist (Netflix)
This was the first major misstep in the Netflix x Marvel collaboration. Sure there’s an argument to be made about creating an updated version of the character, one that is Asian. But when dissecting the issues of the show, that’s minor compared to the sluggishness of the series and the blandness of the title character.
Z: The Beginning of Everything (Amazon)
If Zelda and F. Scott Fitzgerald had an intriguing, whirlwind romance, you sure wouldn’t know it from this series.
Friends From College (Netflix)
A show that has no idea what it hopes to achieve. It was neither funny, nor successfully dramatic. Ultimately, the only word to attribute to the show is boring.
She’s Gotta Have It (Netflix)
This updated version of Spike Lee’s first film feels very dated. The references to the modern era feel like they were created by a 70 year old who just googled what a hashtag is. And the film’s center, Nola Darling, is so unbearable, which could have been an asset to the show if she wasn’t also so self-righteous.
Marlon (NBC)
NBC’s summer sitcom has no soul. Anything intriguing about the show is buried deep beneath Marlon Wayans's constant screaming and goofy faces.
Room 104 (HBO)
It might be time to give up on the Duplass Brothers. It’s one thing for an anthology series to be weird and creative, but quite another thing to be exhausting with no pay off.
The Collection (Amazon)
The Collection is about the French fashion industry in the ‘40s. It’s filmed with all the right stuff for a prestige drama except a good script and interesting characters.
Snowfall (FX)
This show is about important stuff— the way the U.S. government funneled crack into minority California neighborhoods to fund an international regime. It’s more than just a shameful point in American history, it’s emblematic of the corruption that’s been present since the country’s origin. But what’s also (a much lesser) shame is that this show is so boring.
This is the first year I’ve really kept track of what I’ve watched on television. Of course it was part of my Media Log, where I keep track of everything I read and watch daily. But it was partially out of necessity. It's no secret that I watch more than the average person, so when others would ask me what I was watching or what they should be watching I would be overwhelmed by the sheer volume of all the shows I was trying to keep up with at once. So I needed a system to remember. And with that system came some pretty interesting analytics.
I watched at least one episode of 81 different television shows this year. I watched 83 full seasons of television during the 2017 calendar year, plus many more partial seasons because so many are cut in half by the new year. I watch and average of 97 episodes of TV per month, and an average of 18 different shows per month. And finally, the grand total of 1,161 episodes this year.
So here’s my list of the best of television that the year had to offer in the continuing platinum age, as David Bianculli calls it, of television. Let’s start with the best of the new entries this year.
Best of New TV
1. Big Little Lies (HBO)
This miniseries might be the best thing I watched the entire year. It’s funny because after watching the promotional materials I was really on the fence about the potential of this book-turned-series. It starts with a kindergarten squabble, and then evolves into an all-out suburban war between the parents of Otter Bay Elementary School. It’s a delicious treat through and through, but then thanks to Nicole Kidman’s character, as a mother in a twisted relationship, and Kidman’s incredible performance, the show is also incredibly poignant. It’s a show to obsess over and one that can scratch your highbrow drama bone.
2. The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Amazon)
Amy Sherman-Palladino has outdone herself with this show, only eight episodes and way too short. Midge Maisel starts off as the perfect 1950s Jewish housewife, supporting her unfunny husband’s side hustle as a stand up comedian. Suddenly he drops her and she takes the stage, drunkenly, just sharing stories from her real life, so depressing they’re funny. The rest of the season we see Midge work towards her own stand up career, with the help of new friend Susie, at a time when female entertainers are relegated to a song and dance. The brilliance of the show is that it’s successful in its exploration of family dynamics while also creating a character that is actually a really good comedienne.
3. The Keepers (Netflix)
Netflix continues its hot docu-series streak with The Keepers, a story about a nun who was murdered in the ‘60s, most likely by a priest at the high school at which she worked. Two former students take on the task of finding the truth behind this cold case and what they uncover is a shockingly twisted, sickening web of heartbreaking corruption.
4. American Vandal (Netflix)
This series is made more perfect by the fact that it's on Netflix, the provider that gave us The Keepers and Making a Murderer. It’s a fake docu-series showing two students’ quest to get to the bottom of who really drew a bunch of penises on 20-something cars in the faculty parking lot. Though its premise is outlandish, for the first episode you actually wonder if this show is real. That’s because the show creators nail the self-righteous tone of the detective/documentarian. Every single episode is funny, not because of the penises, but because the whole enterprise is so reminiscent of the kind of content that it’s parodying.
5. The Handmaid’s Tale (Hulu)
Another new entry based on a book, this one gives hope that a season two of Big Little Lies might actually work. The Handmaid’s Tale goes far beyond where the book takes you, like BLL season two will have to do, and it totally works. This show is so unlike the rest. So much of the story is introspective, told through Offred’s (Elisabeth Moss) mind’s eye. The world has gone mad, restricting women to the lowest places in society. Some try to fight back, but they have to be very careful. But this show is hardly about a grand plan to topple the current world order, at least not yet. Instead season one is about Offred’s journey to free herself any way she can, while under the most dire of circumstances.
6. Legion (FX)
It’s the weirdest, most surprising, most unconventional, most colorful Marvel comics piece of media out there, and it works. It’s almost impossible to fully understand the first half of the season, but when things finally start coming together you realize it’s all been worth the wait. Dan Stevens is great as a mutant mental patient who has little to no understanding of his powers, but it’s Aubrey Plaza, who goes through a complete transformation from season’s beginning to season’s end, who really deserves some sort of awards recognition.
7. Ozark (Netflix)
Jason Bateman and Laura Linney carry a show with a lot of potential going forward. Ozark is set in a place where it seems nothing would happen, when in fact there are grand drug running and money laundering schemes, and violence around nearly every corner. The estranged husband and wife can barely keep it together in front of their children, much less in front of their new sleepy town to not raise eyebrows. It’s a show about desperation, and that’s an emotion Bateman, whether in a comedy or drama, knows how to play.
8. The Gifted (Fox)
Fox’s foray into the Marvel comic book world has truly paid off. The Gifted, a show within the X-Men universe, takes a family approach to the “mutant problem.” When parents realize their two teenage kids are mutants, the entire family has to go on the run. They link up with an underground resistance network of powerful people, a network held together by a thread. The network television show can be surprisingly violent and gritty, and each episode pushes the story along enough to keep you interested.
9. The Young Pope (HBO)
Before the year began, no other show was more highly anticipated in my mind. Does The Young Pope make total sense? No. But that’s part of its charm. Jude Law plays the titled pope. And where you’d expect a younger pope to loosen the reigns of the Catholic Church, he actually tightens them. This whole show is about subversion, from its incongruous season arc to the music choices. It’s a bit of a mess, but you wouldn’t dare look away because it just might be a masterpiece.
10. Dear White People (Netflix)
The announcement of this show spawned many white tears, which was a surprise to most black people because a successful movie of the same name came out years ago. But the film apparently didn’t register on the white radar. Well, the Netflix show most certainly has. Dear White People, the series, picks up where the 2015 movie left off, at the Ivy-ish Winchester University. Black students navigate academic politics, trying to learn how to be unapologetically black, vulnerable, humble and confident all at once. The series suffers from some recasts, primarily the recast of Sam. The new actor, while not bad, is no Tessa Thompson, but when this show is on point it can be hilarious and meaningful.
11. 13 Reason Why (Netflix)
12. Riverdale (CW)
13. Raven’s Home (Disney Channel)
14. Runways (Hulu)
15. The Punisher (Netlfix)
Best of Returning TV
1. Rick and Morty s3 (Adult Swim)
Finally we got a season three, and it was well worth the wait. Dan Harmon’s off-kilter animated series about a nutso intergalactic science genius and his nerdy grandson is just as creative, funny, and ingenious as ever. Where it improved is in its sharpness. After every episode someone in the community of pop culture writers is able to point out why the latest episode speaks to more than meets the eyes and ears. Rick and Morty isn’t just a good animated show, it’s one of the best written shows out right now.
2. Game of Thrones s7 (HBO)
It may be the best show in recent history. It may be the best show of all time. Game of Thrones got off to a slow start in this shorter season, but once we get to the dragon action, like said dragons, the season begins to soar. Finally all the things we’ve been building to for six years are coming to a head. It’s almost too much excitement to handle.
3. The Crown s2 (Netflix)
I will be the first person to say that season one of The Crown is incredibly boring. I fell asleep on almost every episode. It was too reverent and indulgently slow. And while I still maintain that the show should be about Princess Margaret (the only bright spot in season one), The Crown season two was all around incredible. Suddenly there was more drama, more intrigue. You get the sense that the struggles of the queen meant a whole lot more. And, like in the first season, the show shewn brightest when the spotlight shined on Margaret (Vanessa Kirby).
4. Black-ish s3-4 (ABC)
For a show that seems like it would have to be running out of things to talk about, Black-ish continues to astound. First and foremost, it’s downright funny. The hijinks of Dre, Rainbow and their kids are endlessly watchable. Some episodes are focused on the family, others on grander issues, but no matter what, each episode makes the overall point very clear: black people matter and make this country all the better.
5. Master of None s2 (Netlfix)
Aziz Ansari shocked us all by showing us his heart in the first season of Master of None. In season two he seems to have perfected his craft. In almost every way this second season is better, more heartfelt, and more creative. It’s gorgeously shot, funny at times, and really speaks to what it’s like to search for love, have a family, and find success in New York City. Props belong to Lena Waithe, actor and writer who added even more of her unique voice and perspective this season. And ultimate props to Aziz for not only being the charismatic center of the show, but for birthing such a novel experience to begin with.
6. Insecure s2 (HBO)
Insecure is a completely different view of black life than Black-ish, but it’s just as impressive. Season 2 begins with Issa, a messed up millennial, trying to pick up the pieces of a life in shambles after a break up with her boyfriend. Considering the show is definitely a dramedy, Issa Rae is one of the most comically competent voice on television right now.
7. Veep s6 (HBO)
While season six isn’t the best season of Veep, I think the fact that she’s no longer in office leaves a little something to be desired, it maintains its sharp edge and wit as former VP and President Selina Kyle’s life spins more and more out of control. Season six follows Kyle and team as they attempt to secure her legacy in the grand tapestry that is American history. Julia Louis-Dreyfuss never throws away a single line.
8. Stranger Things s2 (Netflix)
Like The Crown and Master of None, Stranger Things actually gets better in season two. And to me, the reason is very clear. During the first season Will was mostly out of the picture as the kidnapped kid stuck in the Upside Down. This season he’s back and experiencing all the resulting trauma. Noah Schnapp might be the best young actor on the show in a cast of standouts. Season two is bolder, grander and darker.
9. Bojack Horseman s4 (Netflix)
Season four came out this year, but the whole series was new to me. I never watched the show before because the image of the animated horse-man looked too ridiculous. But the show, primarily a comedy, involves a surprising amount of melancholy. Bojack, a ‘90s sitcom actor, is incapable of being happy, ruined by his own dumb choices and regrets from his past. How this works as an animated series is part of the unknowable brilliance.
10. Halt and Catch Fire s4 (AMC)
AMC’s criminally under-watched show about the tech industry got a final season this year. It feels rushed, as if the showrunners knew they only had 10 episodes to achieve all they had planned, but it still maintains all the best elements from season’s past: ambitious storytelling and great characters.
11. Curb Your Enthusiasm s9 (HBO)
12. Mr. Robot s3 (USA)
13. Grace and Frankie s3 (Netflix)
14. Difficult People s4 (Hulu)
15. Billions s2 (Showtime)
16. Top of the Lake: China Girl (Sundance)
17. Gotham s3-4 (Fox)
18. House of Cards s5 (Netflix)
19. The Mindy Project s6 (Hulu)
I made it my goal to read two books per month in 2017. I fell short of my goal by one, but it was still a record year. Below you'll find all 23 books I read this year, from books about TV, to a host of books about the black experience. Next to the 10 books I enjoyed reading the most you'll find a mini review. Also I am proud to say I read my first fiction book in years, only one, but that's something.
Books (I Read) in 2017
1. I Loved Her in the Movies
Robert Wagner
2. Black Panther Book 1
Ta-Nehisi Coates
3. Being White
Doug Schaupp and Paula Harris
4. The Platinum Age of Television
David Bianculli
It's no surprise that I spend my time away from the small screen reading about it. David Bianculli's book is an exhaustive history of television highlighting, not just shows that have been great since the dawn of the storytelling medium but, the shows that have had a seminal role in pushing it forward to what we have today. I learned about so many shows that I knew a little something about, but hadn't quite understood their significance. Bianculli is a longtime TV critic and is able to take you back to what it was like to be around during major TV moments with great effectiveness. To organize his thoughts, he takes it one genre at a time, with each section interrupted by interviews with notable showrunners. And thankfully it doesn't read like history, but an engaging story woven together to create a bigger picture.
5. Notes of a Native Son
James Baldwin
6. The One Thing You Need to Know
Marcus Buckingham
7. The Cross of Redemption
James Baldwin
I could have just as easily written about Notes of a Native Son, but I preferred The Cross of Redemption, because it's a collection of lesser known writings of James Baldwin, the most profound writer about race in America. The book is a collection of essays, book reviews, and more nonfiction from the author. It all helps to create a complete picture of the man whose words seem to be even more relevant by the hour.
8. Across That Bridge
John Lewis
9. Born a Crime
Trevor Noah
10. A Man’s Life
Roger Wilkins
This book was actually a recommendation from James Baldwin in a way. In The Cross of Redemption Baldwin reviews A Man's Life, the autobiography of Roger Wilkins's storied life. Wilkins was a civil rights activist, journalist, and worked in Washington politics under Kennedy and Johnson. Among the most interesting parts of the book is there beginning, where Wilkins describes his childhood, how he grew up, and most importantly his attitudes a feelings during that time. So much of it reminded me of myself that I could hardly put the book down.
11. The Handmaid’s Tale
Margaret Atwood
12. White Rage: The Unspoken Truth of Our Racial Divide
Carol Anderson
Carol Anderson's succinct and effective book correctly puts African American history in the proper context. Where myths have spread about the unworthiness of blacks in America, Anderson explains how black history has been a cycle pain and almost unreasonable hope. She explains how after any achievement black people have gained as a people in this country, they are met with new ways that push them back. And yet black people overwhelmingly have shown an unshakable resilience in the face of unending trials thrust upon them. This book rings so true that it completely opened up a new way for me to look at and think about the plight of minorities in this country. It's enough to make you both angry and depressed until you realize that the black resilience Anderson speaks of is a miracle worth celebrating.
13. Hillbilly Elegy
J.D. Vance
This recommendation came from a friend, but it's also one of those books that has caught on like wild fire. J.D. Vance writes about his life in Appalachian middle America and what characterizes poor, white families like his own. It's a perfect book for now as so many people attempt to understand why this swath of the country is drawn to Donald Trump. Vance breaks his family cycle and ends up graduating from Yale Law School against all odds. He uses his keen analytical skills to come up with some very interesting insights. I did find myself, which I was even surprised about, thinking that occasionally he was too hard on the group he came from, not taking into account the social and systemic factors that often come into play.
14. The Last Word
Julia Cooper
15. Divided By Faith
Christian Smith and Michael Emerson
This was one of two books that I read about the racial divide in American churches. If you are part of a majority minority church or a diverse church, you know how wide the chasm is between your church and white evangelical churches in particular. It was a great book to read in 2017, because I found and continue to find it baffling that so many white Christians find Donald Trump acceptable, when he's such and affront to all that minorities hold dear, including their religious beliefs. The book's authors takes a data gathering and analysis approach to answering questions about why this divide exists. One of the most interesting findings is that when white Christians are exposed in a meaningful way to black Christians, or black people in general, they suddenly begin to see and understand the systemic racial issues that black people refuse to stop talking about. White Christians who do not interact with black people stubbornly hold fast to their own beliefs about race problems and their nonexistence, despite the inability to come to a conclusion based on the diverse set of voices— voices most effected by those very race issues.
16. An Edible History of Humanity
Tom Standage
This was the point of the year when I was getting tired of being enraged on the subway, so I decided to read something not about race. An Edible History of Humanity goes through history to explain how food has changed, how eating has changed, and the way farming completely changed the history of the world. It's a fascinating way to look at the history of the earth and the people that live on it.
17. The Bettencourt Affair
Tom Sancton
I read this mostly during my vacation week. It's a scandalous book about a giant French scandal. Liliane Bettencourt was the heiress to the L'Oreal fortune. She befriended photographer, and alleged swindler, François-Marie Banier. Banier was the beneficiary of millions of dollars in gifts and cash from the very, very rich older woman. And as her health declined, she wanted to leave him with even more of her estate. Well Liliane's daughter Françoise Bettencourt-Meyers, who Liliane pretty much hated, was not happy and began a very long legal battle involving multiple cases, house servants, and even former French president Nicolas Sarkozy, to end Liliane's support of Banier. It's a wild true story that's a perfect beach read. You can't help but come up with your own theories about people's motivations. In my opinion, Françoise, was jealous that her mother liked François more. Was François taking advantage of Liliane? Probably, but I think he also really loved her as a friend.
18. Blue on Blue
Charles Campisi
19. The Pink Triangle
Richard Plant
20. From Fascism to Populism in History
Federico Finchelstein
21. We Were Eight Years in Power: An American Tragedy
Ta-Nehisi Coates
Following in Baldwin's footsteps, Ta-Nehisi Coates's latest book is a collection of essays he wrote for the Atlantic, one published each year of Obama's presidency. I had already read two of the essays, but in addition to the wisdom, truth and lovely prose, found in the essays themselves, you can find those same things in the new introductions he writes for each one. He opens up about the things he would have changed if he had written the essays today. It's a really interesting window into the mind of a truly great writer.
22. What Happened
Hillary Clinton
Whether you love or hate this book probably has everything to do with your thoughts about Hillary Clinton. But in my estimation she talks very candidly about the horror show that was the 2016 campaign for president of the United States, why she couldn't seem to catch a break, what she could have changed herself, and who is to blame for the mess we're in as a nation now. She goes after Putin, Trump, Comey, and even (to a degree) Bernie Sanders and his supporters. She makes her points very clearly, illuminating things that we would have never thought about. Her critique of journalists was particularly effective I thought. I am usually one to defend journalists when people speak in general terms about not trusting "the media." Clinton specifically names names (Matt Lauer), specific articles, and even social platforms that, in her view, had a part to play in her crushing defeat.
23. Brain on Fire
Susannah Cahalan