My take on the 9 Oscar nominated films and the one that should have been nominated. I see about 100 films a year. Taste is subjective for everyone but here goes:
Wind River - A
My favorite movie of the year. I saw it twice in the theater and once on Prime.
The Academy should have nominated Wind River for best picture. Written and directed by Taylor Sheridan who also wrote “Hell or High Water” and “Sicario.” Check out both of them if you haven't seen them.
"Wind River" is a crime thriller about a murder on the Wind River Indian Reservation. As usual, Jeremy Renner is interesting and intense. He is joined by his Avengers cast mate, Elizabeth Olsen. She is well cast as an inexperienced FBI agent who is out of her depths in rural Wyoming. There is a great small role for Jon Bernthal ("The Punisher" and "Baby Driver") here.
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri - A
My pick for best picture since “Wind River" wasn’t nominated.
Written and directed by Martin McDonagh who also wrote and directed "Seven Psychopaths" and “In Bruges.”
If you haven’t seen “Seven Psychopaths”, do yourself a favor and rent it. Woody Harrelson, Sam Rockwell, Colin Farrell and Christopher Walken are great.
In Three Billboards, Woody and Sam have great supporting roles. Both are nominated for their performances. Sam Rockwell’s character arc as a racist deputy is really good and Rockwell never disappoints. He always brings something interesting to his characters. Frances McDormand (Oscar winner for Best Actress in “Fargo”) drives the narrative as a relentless mother trying to find her daughters killer. McDonagh specifically wrote the part with McDormand in mind. The movie is tragic, funny, sweet and violent. Saw it twice.
The Shape of Water - A
I have very little doubt that this will win best Picture.
Written and directed by Guillermo Del Toro. Del Toro also wrote and directed "Crimson Peak," "Pacific Rim" and the two Hellboy movies. Del Toro’s best film is “Pan’s Labyrinth." It is a Spanish speaking film with English subtitles but it is very worthy of your time. The protagonist is a brave 10 year old girl named Ofelia. The movie is set in Spain during World War II.
“The Shape of Water” is an allegory about acceptance of people that are possibly different than you. Set in Baltimore during the Cold War, the movie is a love story between a mute cleaning woman and a merman who is a prisoner in a secret military facility. I’m pretty sure all of Del Toro’s movies have at least one monster, and this movie is no different. It just has a different kind of monster.
Lady Bird - A-
My dark horse pick for some major awards as this movie was written and directed by a woman and it’s two main characters are women. Women are a force in our society right now.
Written and directed by Greta Gerwig. A coming of age story that I believe is at least somewhat autobiographical. Gerwig wrote "Frances Ha” and “Mistress America” as well as writing and directing “Nights and Weekends.” Gerwig has been a mainstay on the indie movie scene for several years now.
“Lady Bird” stars Soairse Ronan (Brooklyn) as the drama filled title character and follows her love/hate relationship with her mother through her senior year of high school and early part of college. It’s funny and insightful and to me it’s a thank you from the writer to her family and to her hometown of Sacramento.
Get Out - A-
The most original movie of the year.
Written and directed by Jordan Peele of the comedy duo Key and Peele. Peele wrote Keanu. This is his directorial debut.
Get Out is a combination of horror, romance, comedy and a social commentary about the racial inequality of our society.
It was a fresh idea in an industry full of stale ideas. I assumed Peele would bring the funny (he did.) I didn’t realize how unique his story would be.
Dunkirk - B+
As usual, Christopher Nolan is messing with time.
Christopher Nolan loves messing with our minds. As the writer/director of “Memento,” “The Prestige,” “Inception” and “Interstellar,” Nolan loves playing around with time. I applaud his creativity and intelligent style. His Batman trilogy was dark and much more satisfying than previous Batman franchises.
As far as “Dunkirk” goes, I wasn’t a fan of the re-telling of the same story from different perspectives at different times in the movie. It was confusing. You expect a war movie that is covering a well known incident to be covered chronologically. It was still enjoyable and quite an epic tale. I haven’t seen it a second time but would like to go into it understanding the premise.
Call Me By Your Name - B
Another coming of age story love story.
Directed by Luca Guadagnino who also directed “A Bigger Splash” and “I Am Love.” Timothy Chalamet stars as Elio, an intelligent, well read young man living in Northern Italy with his well educated parents. He is a gifted musician who plays multiple instruments. His father is a professor who has invited a grad student named Oliver to live with them for 6 weeks while they work together on a project. Oliver is played by Armie Hammer ("The Man from U.N.C.L.E.” and “The Lone Ranger.”) Elio is unsure of how he feels about Oliver. At first he is annoyed by him and then he realizes that is because he likes him and he is afraid of being rejected. Elio pursues a sexual relationship with a girl he knows from the area when he feels that Oliver has rejected him. Eventually, Oliver shows his true feelings of attraction for Elio and they begin a romantic relationship that lasts until Oliver returns to the States. It goes on a bit long. The 2 hour and 10 minute running time could have been 15 minutes shorter.
The Post - B
Just what you would expect from Spielberg, Streep and Hanks.
Directed by Steven Spielberg (Do I really need to list his credits?)
Hanks stars as Ben Bradlee, the iconic executive editor of the Washington Post during the time of Watergate and The Pentagon Papers. Streep stars as Katharine Graham, the publisher and owner of the Paper. The movie is well acted and has some interesting behind the scenes information about the different power players in Washington D.C.
Streep’s Katharine Graham has the most interesting character arc. After the death of her husband, she become the tentative leader of the Paper, usually following the advice of Bradlee and her lawyer. As things get scary for the Paper due to threats from the White House and potential lawsuits, Bradlee and the lawyer disagree leaving Graham in the unenviable position of deciding between the possible loss of her family business or letting the White House get away with lying to the American people. It’s a movie that is obviously relevant today. The Fourth Estate is more important today than perhaps any time in the history of our Republic.
Darkest Hour - B-
Churchill mania!
There have been several films dealing with Winston Churchill as of late.
“Churchill” starring Albert Finney focuses mainly on D-Day.
“Dunkirk” doesn’t focus on Churchill so much but he is obviously related to the story.
“Into The Storm" stars Brendan Gleeson and focuses on Churchill’s best moments during World War II.
“Darkest Hour” is directed by Joe Wright. He also directed “Pride and Prejudice,” “Atonement,” “Hanna” and “Anna Karenina.”
Gary Oldman plays Churchill and he does a great job. This movie focuses on the potential catastrophic situation at Dunkirk.
Neville Chamberlain has put the Brits in a very precarious situation and Great Britain calls on Winston to bail them out. There is political intrigue and backstabbing.
Will Winston sue for Peace and give in to Hitler? It seems he is the only one who believes they should fight. The movie is well done but I believe the pacing could have been a bit faster. 2 hours and 5 minutes was about 15 minutes too long.
Phantom Thread - ?
The only movie I didn’t see.
Written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson.
I have to be honest. I usually don’t understand his films. He started out strong. I liked “Hard Eight” and “Boogie Nights.” Then came “Magnolia.” starring Tom Cruise. I don’t know what the fock that was supposed to be. A frog storm? Frogs falling out of the sky? Is it a metaphor? If so, I didn’t get it.
Next is “Punch Drunk Love” with an oddly cast Adam Sandler. I didn’t get it. Boring and depressing.
He follows that up with “There Will Be Blood.” Dark and depressing but at least it was tolerable.
“The Master” with Seymour Philip Hoffman was also depressing and boring.
“Inherent Vice” starring Joaquin Phoenix was the last straw. A rambling mess of a movie that I walked into not realizing he wrote and directed it.
I vowed to never see another one of his movies after that. So, “Phantom Thread” could be an amazing movie, but I seriously doubt it.
Wind River - A
My favorite movie of the year. I saw it twice in the theater and once on Prime.
The Academy should have nominated Wind River for best picture. Written and directed by Taylor Sheridan who also wrote “Hell or High Water” and “Sicario.” Check out both of them if you haven't seen them.
"Wind River" is a crime thriller about a murder on the Wind River Indian Reservation. As usual, Jeremy Renner is interesting and intense. He is joined by his Avengers cast mate, Elizabeth Olsen. She is well cast as an inexperienced FBI agent who is out of her depths in rural Wyoming. There is a great small role for Jon Bernthal ("The Punisher" and "Baby Driver") here.
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri - A
My pick for best picture since “Wind River" wasn’t nominated.
Written and directed by Martin McDonagh who also wrote and directed "Seven Psychopaths" and “In Bruges.”
If you haven’t seen “Seven Psychopaths”, do yourself a favor and rent it. Woody Harrelson, Sam Rockwell, Colin Farrell and Christopher Walken are great.
In Three Billboards, Woody and Sam have great supporting roles. Both are nominated for their performances. Sam Rockwell’s character arc as a racist deputy is really good and Rockwell never disappoints. He always brings something interesting to his characters. Frances McDormand (Oscar winner for Best Actress in “Fargo”) drives the narrative as a relentless mother trying to find her daughters killer. McDonagh specifically wrote the part with McDormand in mind. The movie is tragic, funny, sweet and violent. Saw it twice.
The Shape of Water - A
I have very little doubt that this will win best Picture.
Written and directed by Guillermo Del Toro. Del Toro also wrote and directed "Crimson Peak," "Pacific Rim" and the two Hellboy movies. Del Toro’s best film is “Pan’s Labyrinth." It is a Spanish speaking film with English subtitles but it is very worthy of your time. The protagonist is a brave 10 year old girl named Ofelia. The movie is set in Spain during World War II.
“The Shape of Water” is an allegory about acceptance of people that are possibly different than you. Set in Baltimore during the Cold War, the movie is a love story between a mute cleaning woman and a merman who is a prisoner in a secret military facility. I’m pretty sure all of Del Toro’s movies have at least one monster, and this movie is no different. It just has a different kind of monster.
Lady Bird - A-
My dark horse pick for some major awards as this movie was written and directed by a woman and it’s two main characters are women. Women are a force in our society right now.
Written and directed by Greta Gerwig. A coming of age story that I believe is at least somewhat autobiographical. Gerwig wrote "Frances Ha” and “Mistress America” as well as writing and directing “Nights and Weekends.” Gerwig has been a mainstay on the indie movie scene for several years now.
“Lady Bird” stars Soairse Ronan (Brooklyn) as the drama filled title character and follows her love/hate relationship with her mother through her senior year of high school and early part of college. It’s funny and insightful and to me it’s a thank you from the writer to her family and to her hometown of Sacramento.
Get Out - A-
The most original movie of the year.
Written and directed by Jordan Peele of the comedy duo Key and Peele. Peele wrote Keanu. This is his directorial debut.
Get Out is a combination of horror, romance, comedy and a social commentary about the racial inequality of our society.
It was a fresh idea in an industry full of stale ideas. I assumed Peele would bring the funny (he did.) I didn’t realize how unique his story would be.
Dunkirk - B+
As usual, Christopher Nolan is messing with time.
Christopher Nolan loves messing with our minds. As the writer/director of “Memento,” “The Prestige,” “Inception” and “Interstellar,” Nolan loves playing around with time. I applaud his creativity and intelligent style. His Batman trilogy was dark and much more satisfying than previous Batman franchises.
As far as “Dunkirk” goes, I wasn’t a fan of the re-telling of the same story from different perspectives at different times in the movie. It was confusing. You expect a war movie that is covering a well known incident to be covered chronologically. It was still enjoyable and quite an epic tale. I haven’t seen it a second time but would like to go into it understanding the premise.
Call Me By Your Name - B
Another coming of age story love story.
Directed by Luca Guadagnino who also directed “A Bigger Splash” and “I Am Love.” Timothy Chalamet stars as Elio, an intelligent, well read young man living in Northern Italy with his well educated parents. He is a gifted musician who plays multiple instruments. His father is a professor who has invited a grad student named Oliver to live with them for 6 weeks while they work together on a project. Oliver is played by Armie Hammer ("The Man from U.N.C.L.E.” and “The Lone Ranger.”) Elio is unsure of how he feels about Oliver. At first he is annoyed by him and then he realizes that is because he likes him and he is afraid of being rejected. Elio pursues a sexual relationship with a girl he knows from the area when he feels that Oliver has rejected him. Eventually, Oliver shows his true feelings of attraction for Elio and they begin a romantic relationship that lasts until Oliver returns to the States. It goes on a bit long. The 2 hour and 10 minute running time could have been 15 minutes shorter.
The Post - B
Just what you would expect from Spielberg, Streep and Hanks.
Directed by Steven Spielberg (Do I really need to list his credits?)
Hanks stars as Ben Bradlee, the iconic executive editor of the Washington Post during the time of Watergate and The Pentagon Papers. Streep stars as Katharine Graham, the publisher and owner of the Paper. The movie is well acted and has some interesting behind the scenes information about the different power players in Washington D.C.
Streep’s Katharine Graham has the most interesting character arc. After the death of her husband, she become the tentative leader of the Paper, usually following the advice of Bradlee and her lawyer. As things get scary for the Paper due to threats from the White House and potential lawsuits, Bradlee and the lawyer disagree leaving Graham in the unenviable position of deciding between the possible loss of her family business or letting the White House get away with lying to the American people. It’s a movie that is obviously relevant today. The Fourth Estate is more important today than perhaps any time in the history of our Republic.
Darkest Hour - B-
Churchill mania!
There have been several films dealing with Winston Churchill as of late.
“Churchill” starring Albert Finney focuses mainly on D-Day.
“Dunkirk” doesn’t focus on Churchill so much but he is obviously related to the story.
“Into The Storm" stars Brendan Gleeson and focuses on Churchill’s best moments during World War II.
“Darkest Hour” is directed by Joe Wright. He also directed “Pride and Prejudice,” “Atonement,” “Hanna” and “Anna Karenina.”
Gary Oldman plays Churchill and he does a great job. This movie focuses on the potential catastrophic situation at Dunkirk.
Neville Chamberlain has put the Brits in a very precarious situation and Great Britain calls on Winston to bail them out. There is political intrigue and backstabbing.
Will Winston sue for Peace and give in to Hitler? It seems he is the only one who believes they should fight. The movie is well done but I believe the pacing could have been a bit faster. 2 hours and 5 minutes was about 15 minutes too long.
Phantom Thread - ?
The only movie I didn’t see.
Written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson.
I have to be honest. I usually don’t understand his films. He started out strong. I liked “Hard Eight” and “Boogie Nights.” Then came “Magnolia.” starring Tom Cruise. I don’t know what the fock that was supposed to be. A frog storm? Frogs falling out of the sky? Is it a metaphor? If so, I didn’t get it.
Next is “Punch Drunk Love” with an oddly cast Adam Sandler. I didn’t get it. Boring and depressing.
He follows that up with “There Will Be Blood.” Dark and depressing but at least it was tolerable.
“The Master” with Seymour Philip Hoffman was also depressing and boring.
“Inherent Vice” starring Joaquin Phoenix was the last straw. A rambling mess of a movie that I walked into not realizing he wrote and directed it.
I vowed to never see another one of his movies after that. So, “Phantom Thread” could be an amazing movie, but I seriously doubt it.
