With the Oscars coming, there are 9 nominees that will
jostle to win Best Picture of the year. Here’s my rankings of the respective
films.
9. Darkest Hour.
Haven’t seen it! I’m going to go watch Sid and Nancy or Immortal Beloved instead (Please insert The Lost City of Z, The Florida Project, or Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi, here as alternatives. These suggestions are the reason the Academy switched to a larger voting field after 2008; and further illustrate how Darkest Hour is a poor choice, belonging to a bygone era).
Haven’t seen it! I’m going to go watch Sid and Nancy or Immortal Beloved instead (Please insert The Lost City of Z, The Florida Project, or Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi, here as alternatives. These suggestions are the reason the Academy switched to a larger voting field after 2008; and further illustrate how Darkest Hour is a poor choice, belonging to a bygone era).
8. The Post.
Surprisingly lukewarm Oscar bait. Over the course of their careers, director Steven Spielberg, composer John Williams, and actors Tom Hanks and Meryl Streep have won a combined 12 Oscars, and had a combined 84 nominations. With that murderer’s row of acclaim, I expected more from what could have been a very timely look at the chicanery of conspiratorial politics viewed through the lens of investigative journalism. Tepid to the point of noticing that almost everybody is wearing a wig- but then realizing nobody cares.
Surprisingly lukewarm Oscar bait. Over the course of their careers, director Steven Spielberg, composer John Williams, and actors Tom Hanks and Meryl Streep have won a combined 12 Oscars, and had a combined 84 nominations. With that murderer’s row of acclaim, I expected more from what could have been a very timely look at the chicanery of conspiratorial politics viewed through the lens of investigative journalism. Tepid to the point of noticing that almost everybody is wearing a wig- but then realizing nobody cares.
7. The Shape of Water.
Guillermo Del Toro’s tale of fish sex is almost as odd as it is aimless. More of a celebration of film itself (and monsters) than a nuts and bolts story, I’m curious if the 13 Oscar nominations the film received is the Academy trying to make up for stonewalling a Best Picture nomination to Del Toro’s sublime 2006 effort, Pan’s Labyrinth. A possible favourite come awards night.
Guillermo Del Toro’s tale of fish sex is almost as odd as it is aimless. More of a celebration of film itself (and monsters) than a nuts and bolts story, I’m curious if the 13 Oscar nominations the film received is the Academy trying to make up for stonewalling a Best Picture nomination to Del Toro’s sublime 2006 effort, Pan’s Labyrinth. A possible favourite come awards night.
6. Dunkirk.
Christopher Nolan again splits time and perspective through his military tale of soldiers based around France in WWII. Nolan shows off a great deal of tricks and continues to celebrate the magic of IMAX, but it comes across as thickly obtuse. I’m still trying to figure out who the 3 soldiers stranded on the beach were, as they’re generic and unmemorable. It’s tough to get to know characters worth caring about when you’re being kept at arm’s length.
Christopher Nolan again splits time and perspective through his military tale of soldiers based around France in WWII. Nolan shows off a great deal of tricks and continues to celebrate the magic of IMAX, but it comes across as thickly obtuse. I’m still trying to figure out who the 3 soldiers stranded on the beach were, as they’re generic and unmemorable. It’s tough to get to know characters worth caring about when you’re being kept at arm’s length.
An Honourable Mention in my best of 2017, Name is a love story about a young adult
and man in Italy. It does a good job of
showcasing how devastatingly memorable an affair can be when it hits you in
that special place, but also can be a quite leisurely, and the age difference
in the 2 leads is somewhat concerning. Practically guaranteed to be ignored
come the big night.
4. Lady Bird.
An Honourable Mention in my best of 2017, Greta Gerwig’s
Sacramento based ode to coming of age has a fantastic pace and very organic
naturalness to it that belies Gerwig’s experience behind the camera. Equal
parts hilarious and frustrating as the teenage lead, Saorse Ronan is great, and
Laurie Metcalf is revelatory as the mom who never stops trying to support her
daughter, even when she is critical of her. The sweetest movie in this list.
3. Phantom Thread.
An Honourable Mention in my best of 2017, Paul Thomas
Anderson shows us why he’s 1 of the best directors working today. Equipped with
Ferrari Testarossas named Daniel Day-Lewis and Vicki Krieps, Anderson continues
his late career trend of flawless minimalist plots about how people interact
with each other, here with an insatiable love story that has plenty of
poisonous moments amongst the romance.
2. 3 Billboards Outside Ebbings, Missouri.
Making my top 10 of 2017, 3 Billboards isn’t perfect, and has had its share of backlash. However, its strengths far outweigh its challenges, and its combination of laughs, great performances, and messages of revenge and healing through trauma, make it a treat. You can print off that Best Actress Oscar for McDormand now. Allegedly the second best chance of winning (after The Shape of Water).
Making my top 10 of 2017, 3 Billboards isn’t perfect, and has had its share of backlash. However, its strengths far outweigh its challenges, and its combination of laughs, great performances, and messages of revenge and healing through trauma, make it a treat. You can print off that Best Actress Oscar for McDormand now. Allegedly the second best chance of winning (after The Shape of Water).
1. Get Out.
My #4 of 2017, Get Out
is a stunning debut from director Jordan Peele, and comes at the perfect time
amongst reports of America further degenerating into segregated and
unaccountable anarchy. Peele shows off a great deal of charms, and blends
multiple genres to consistently keep audiences guessing as to what would come
next: laughs, or gasps? Given its subject matter, it’s surprisingly re-watchable,
and packed with symbolism to strengthen its case as my favourite movie of the
Best Picture nominees. A super sleeper choice for an upset that would age well
in history. Will the Academy, with its trend towards increased diversity, get
in for Get Out?
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