STACK #159 Jan 2018

DVD&BD FEATURE

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2017 OF BEST THE FILM

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WorldWar II, aliens, race relations, a musical, and theWolverine – there's something for all tastes in the annual round-up of the best DVD and Blu-ray releases of 2017. Selected by Scott Hocking

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1 DUNKIRK Christopher Nolan’s searing dramatisation of a crucial moment in World War II is a tour de force of filmmaking and sustained intensity. Working in the realm of historical context after a number of genre films, Nolan demonstrates a comprehensive understanding of and respect for his subject. 2 ARRIVAL It’s close encounters of the lingual kind in Denis Villeneuve’s exquisitely realised rumination on the challenges of communicating with an alien species. Arrival is a film about big ideas, not big special effects (although it has those too), and packs a substantial emotional punch. 3 JACKIE This portrait of iconic First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy (played with absolute conviction by Natalie Portman) is less a biopic than an intensely intimate character study. Keeping us in the immediate sphere of its subject, the result is a melancholic experience that runs contrary to expectations for a film of this type.

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4 LOGAN The swan song for Hugh Jackman’s

discovery and sexual awakening, presented as three haunting chapters in the life of its protagonist. This affecting arthouse drama will stay with you long after the end credits have rolled. 6 LA LA LAND Damien Chazelle’s contemporary romantic musical was a gamble that paid off beautifully. Charming without being overly twee, and bittersweet when you least expect it, La La Land is a thoroughly endearing tale of falling in love and chasing dreams – and a love letter to old Hollywood and the magic of the movies.

Wolverine is one of the best superhero films to date. Devoid of the looming global threat and VFX overload that’s de rigueur in the X-Men universe, director James Mangold throws out the rulebook and reimagines the genre as a relentlessly grim and violent western-noir. 5 MOONLIGHT The film that quite literally snatched the Best Picture award at this year’s Oscars is a measured and moving journey of self-

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JANUARY 2018

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