Our Kind of Traitor. It was fine. Fairly standard spy intrigue stuff. I'm on board with that, but just ran out of steam somehow.

20th Century Women. I loved it. The '70s were weird but then again so was every time. Bening is a genius.

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. The Riders of Rohan are the best. Loved'em in the book. Love'em in the movies. I think they nailed the melodrama in this one. And the build-up to the spider set-piece is pretty great. I still think the song during the closing credits is a huge misfire. Should have gone instrumental!

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. You can see the move ripping at the seams. There's a lot of story to pack in here. Lots of it feels clipped, rushed, off-kilter. Romances are un-earned. Jarring shifts in tone. Gimli has a lot more to say. Legolas slides on a shield? It's a mess, but may have the best landscapes of the trilogy.

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. Appreciated the soundtrack more this time around. Pretty sure it's borrowing from Dvorak. Also reminded me of The Last of the Mohicans in mood. Great work with the suspense and setting the sense, and such a great ending. Not a teaser, but a promise of adventure.

American Honey. Wow, probably one of my favorites I saw in 2017. Slice-of-life-y, crazy energy, the time just slipped right by. I was swept up. Filed under: road movies.

The Fugitive. Had a good time live-tweeting this one. Holds up really well. Favorite thing I noticed this time around was how Ford's wardrobe changes with his status in the story. He starts in a tux, then a suit, then jail uniform, then dirty coveralls, then clean coveralls, then a military jacket, and tweed. That's when you know he's really back in charge.

Jaws. I dunno. It's perfect. What do you want me to say?

Shaun of the Dead. I really really really wish I'd seen this one years ago. Like pretty much every comedy, the rapid-fire funny bits eventually decay into a slow shuffle, but it's worth it. Pegg and Wright are truly gifted.

The Bridges of Madison County. I kinda hate myself for saying this but I think Streep gets under my skin a little bit. The micro-mannerisms. I just about eye-rolled myself inside-out when she closed the fridge with her foot. Still, a lovely little doomed romance. A story of acceptance. I like the way it just sorta relaxes into the story and takes its time even though it covers such a short time period. I'd say this is better than maybe half of the Clint Eastwood movies I've seen.