Top Ten Music Videos of 2017
There was an amazing variety of music videos that reflected our collective resilience in 2017. Elation was behind the fog. In picking my favorites of the year, I went with themes of nostalgia and determination. If anything can be said, artists were unafraid and resolute.
Atomic Blonde
The film leans heavily on Charlize’s charisma, director David Leitch’s action chops and its killer soundtrack (David Bowie, Depeche Mode, Queen, George Michael, etc.) to keep the fuel going.
Dunkirk
It is without a doubt his most accessible work — blending in his jumbling narrative style with a traditional, though unrelenting plot. Still, in places it is surprisingly intimate, something most Nolan fans likely haven’t seen since Memento (2000) well over a decade ago. This is paired with a tone of total chaos and terror that inevitably falls to sentiment.
Chasing Trane: The John Coltrane Documentary
Trane’s career was short, but the influence is still felt today. Scheinfeld worked overtime to put together a documentary that has the blessings of the Coltrane family, but does not soft-pedal the mercurial saxophonist.
Doomsday Films: A Compendium
The end of the world may or may not come. That Mayan calendar thing turned out to be nothing, Y2K did not cause planes to fall from the sky. Television and tent revival preachers have been predicting the end of days for generations. It may be the second coming, a rogue comet hurtling toward Earth, nuclear annihilation,
or any of many other options.
Wonder Woman
Wonder Woman is not the absolute feminist dream–no Hollywood blockbuster could be–but it’s what we’ve been waiting for. It’s devilishly witty, sexy, fierce and passionate. Superheros always stand for something–it’s what most of the DC films have been missing and, on some level, something the Marvel films have overdone.
Churchill
Much has been said about British Prime Minister Winston Churchill. From his articulate and fiery maxims to his dogged strategies and tortured reluctance during World War II. Giant, voluminous biographies have been written about the man.
The Return of Haim + Two Other Pop Records We Need Right Now
As we wait out over a month before Este, Danielle and Alana officially unveil the album, it can be comforting to know that there are plenty of other artists within the same vein delivering considerably excellent work, and we need to give them attention.
The Wedding Plan
Here, the narrative speaks boldly: Without someone giving you adoration, you are without reason. This is sort of regressive belief system plagues the movie’s rather frustrating 110 minute run-time.
Pick Six: Overlooked Tracks of 2017
Music did its best to try and apply soothing antiseptic to an otherwise frightening 2016. At least we had some sort of positive, yeah? The incredibly strong year for music has seen no issue carrying over, seamlessly, into the first three-plus months of the new year.