Snobbin: Beautiful Trash in the Pop Culture Gutter

12. The Witch -- Out of the many horror films I watched this year, The Witch was one of the newer ones that really stuck with me. Robert Egger's period piece set in the 17th century New England ably captures the struggles of a Puritan family, while showing how fear and prejudice are a continual problem in human communities. 11. Cutter's Way -- Jeff Bridges, in the role of Richard Bone, seems to be working on his template for the character that will later become the Dude in The Big Lebowski . He finds amazing onscreen chemistry with John Heard's Alex Cutter in this charming, little thriller that sends Cutter and Bones on the trail of a mystery. Ivan Passer's film is not flashy, but it carries a lot of depth through weighty performances and characterization. 10. Mona Lisa -- Neil Jordan's Mona Lisa is not just another character-driven crime film because the story and acting elevate it to another level. The performances by Bob Hoskins and Cathy Tyson are ste...

 Since I watched 365 films, I decided to delve into the best films I watched in 2017. 25. Rollerball Norman Jewison's Rollerball is fun to watch, and its portrayal of a man expressing his individuality in a society that threatens to completely control him is apt even in today's world. The sport of Murderball is brutal and when the executives continually change the rules, he struggles to maintain. Yet he manages to succeed, despite the fact that he will possibly ultimately fail. The sport is interesting, if a bit unrealistic, and the performances, especially that of James Caan, take the story beyond its generic science fiction trappings. 24. Jules and Jim Truffaut was one of my favorite directors this year, so it was hard to narrow down which films I wanted to put on this list. I picked Jules and Jim because I felt adversarial about it and had to think about the story and cinematography to really understand its value. The film's romantic love triangle is hard to w...

349. Fearless (2006), Ronny Yu, Rogue 350. The Cat's-Paw (1934), Sam Taylor, Fox Film Corporation 351. The Plumber (1979), Peter Weir, CEL 352. Rollerball (1975), Norman Jewison, United Artists 353. A Film Unfinished (2010), Yael Hersonski, Oscilloscope 354. Fat Girl (2001), Catherine Breillat, Canal 355. The Apartment (1960), Billy Wilder, United Artists 356. Jules and Jim (1962),  François Truffaut, Cinedis 357. A Woman of Paris: A Drama of Fate (1923), Charlie Chaplin, United Artists 358. A King in New York (1957), Charlie Chaplin, Attica

329. Chafed Elbows (1966), Robert Downey Sr., Impact 330. Bed and Board (1970), Francois Truffaut, Columbia 331. I Married A Witch (1942), Rene Clair, Paramount 332. Monsieur Verdoux (1947), Charlie Chaplin, United Artists 333. Limelight (1952), Charlie Chaplin, United Artists 334. Dog Soldiers (2002), Neil Marshall, Pathe 335. Beetlejuice (1988), Tim Burton, Warner Bros. 336. The Spirit of the Beehive (1973), Victor Erice, Bocaccio 337. Repulsion (1965), Roman Polanski, Compton 338. The Skin I Live In (2011), Pedro Almodóvar, Warners Espana

249. Manhattan (1979), Woody Allen, United Artists 250. Straight To Hell (1987), Alex Cox, Island Pictures 251. The Return of Bulldog Drummond (1934), Walter Summers, Wardour 252. Welcome Danger (1929), Clyde Bruckman and Malcolm St. Clair (Unc.), Paramount 253. A Short Film About Killing (1988), Krzysztof Kieślowski, Film Polski 254. Young and Innocent (1937), Alfred Hitchcock, Gaumont 255. Shoot the Piano Player (1960), François Truffaut,  Les Films du Carrosse 256. On Dangerous Ground (1951), Nicholas Ray, RKO 257. That Touch of Mink (1962), Delbert Mann, Universal 258. They Drive By Night (1940), Raoul Walsh, Warner Bros.

199. All the Colors of the Dark (1972), Sergio Martino, Lea Cinematografica 200. High Sierra (1941), Raoul Walsh, Warner Bros. 201. Someone to Love (1987), Henry Jaglom, Castle Hill 202. Stolen Kisses, Francois Truffaut, United Artists 203. The Player (1992), Robert Altman, Fine Line 204. The Red Balloon (1956), Albert Lamorisse, Films Montsouris 205. Art and Craft (2014), Sam Cullman and Jennifer Grausman, Oscilloscope  206. Going Attractions: The Definitive Story of the American Drive-In Movie (2013), April Wright, Gravitas 207. Magician: The Astonishing Life and Work of Orson Welles (2015), Chuck Workman, Calliope 208. Black Magic (1949), Gregory Ratoff, United Artists

159. The Tomb of the Werewolf (2003), Fred Olen Ray, Macabre 160. Licántropo: El asesino de la luna llena (1997), Francisco Rodríguez Gordillo 161. El Aullido Del Diablo (1987), Paul Naschy, Freemont-Nasch 162. They Live By Night (1948), Nicholas Ray, RKO 163. Falcon Rising (2014), Ernie Barbarash, Moonstone Entertainment 164. Bananas (1971), Woody Allen, United Artists 165. King Solomon's Mines (1937), Robert Stevenson and Geoffrey Barkas, Gaumont 166. Lady Snowblood: Love Song of Vengeance (1974), Toshiya Fujita, Toho 167. The 400 Blows (1959), Francois Truffaut, Les Films du Carrosse 168. Antoine and Colette (1962), Francois Truffaut, Ulysse