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maltatoday SUNDAY 24 DECEMBER 2017 30 This Week The best and worst Our resident film critic TEODOR RELJIC sifts through a year's worth of film reviews to pick the worst and best of the bunch THE BEST 5. Toni Erdmann Arriving to us a little late, but by golly is this living, breathing proof of better late than never. The soon-to-be-remade-in-the-US German comedy-drama about an eccentric father trying to reconnect with a high-flying businesswoman daughter works hard to give us a true emotional payoff that is shorn of all cliches and easy ways out. And boy, doe it pay off. 3. Thor: Ragnarok Handing over the reins of this corner of the Marvel Cinematic Universe to Kiwi comedy director Tai- ka Waititi (What We Do in the Shadows, The Hunt for the Wilderpeople) turned out to be a genius move. This is is the superhero flick that out-Guardians Guardians of the Galaxy in its wacky, witty and hilarious overall tone. The laughs just keep coming, and best of all – they appear to be coming from a genuine place of heart and inventiveness. But the film also certainly delivers up what its supposed to – as the iconic confrontation of its title character with the Hulk confirms, as do its perfectly-timed action sequences set to Led Zeppelin's legendary 'Immigrant Song'. 1. Sicilian Ghost Story Coming our way thanks to the Valletta Film Festival – with its writer-director team of Antonio Piazza and Fabio Grassadonia in attendance at the premiere – this harrowing and beautiful blend of fantasy and reality is a triumph to match the very best of what auteurs like Guillermo Del Toro have done. Taking the kidnapping and eventual murder of a young boy by the mafia as its starting point – a harrowing true story that shook an entire society – Piazza and Grassadonia showcase ad- mirable skill and thoroughness to add an archetypal air to the proceedings that justifies the film's title but never devolves into escapism. 4. Star Wars: The Last Jedi Auteur writer-director Rian Johnson's contribution to the ongoing Star Wars "sequel trilogy" is a bracing and thoroughly satisfying block- buster, balancing the expected thrills with a darkness and maturity that builds on the seasoned, wounded tone established by last year's 'An- thology' Star Wars film Rogue One. The characters' emotional arcs are as huge to take in as the laser sword fights and dizzying space battles, and a running theme of moral ambiguity – shady arms dealing is actu- ally a detail in this newly-cynical universe – as well as the need to do away with the past add a poignancy that only contributes to the sus- pense and pleasure of taking in this huge, generous tentpole cinematic experience. 2. Paterson Adam Driver has become an international superstar after he was given the opportunity to embody the conflicted young Sith lord Kylo Ren in the Star Wars prequel trilogy. But he shows off some understated act- ing chops in this equally understated masterpiece from Jim Jarmusch, about a bus driver poet's daily routine and poetic ruminations. An hon- est and thoroughly charming evocation of the pleasures of the mun- dane life, the film is like an antidote to an ever-interconnected, ever- panicking Brave New World. and best of the bunch Honourable mentions: John Wick 2, Logan Lucky, Insyriated, Moonlight, Baby Driver, Okja (Netflix), Blade Runner 2049