Hi! A quick glance at the state of this blog, such that it is, reveals that I haven't posted anything since July of 2017. I wish I had a good explanation as to why, but I really, truly, have nothing to blame but laziness. I'd be surprised if anyone reads this at all but if you are feeling so inclined, here's my plan for what's going to happen moving forward.
First, I'm going to use this post to write short reviews and recommendations for the 9 2017 Best Picture nominees. Next, I'm going to use a separate post to catch up on the rest of the 2017 films I saw and never reviewed. Then I'm going to review Black Panther with its own post and hopefully get current again in time for the remained of what's to come in 2018. I'm planning another 2018 movie preview as well, we'll see just how ambitious a course this may be.
In all, I think that this year's best picture nominees were stronger top to bottom than in years past, and absolutely more interesting. Hollywood as a whole remains in a strange state of blockbuster obsession, but there are plenty of filmmakers doing amazing work out there - even if you'll need to find an art theater to actually see their work. So without and further ado, here are quick reviews of the 2017 nominees for Best Picture.
Call Me By Your Name Adapted from the acclaimed novel by Andre Aciman and directed by Italian filmmaker Luca Guadagnino, Call Me By Your Name focuses on a summer romance between teenager Elio and doctoral student Oliver in 1980's Italy. The performances, best actor nominee Timothee Chalamet, Arnie Hammer, and the always great Michael Stuhlbarg really make this one pop, and the bucolic, tranquil Italian summer allows the film to truly take its time. This is my favorite film of the year, with the setting, scenery, and languid events of a long summer framing a passionate and ill-advised romance. A powerful, beautiful film. 9.5/10
Phantom Thread Writer/Director Paul Thomas Anderson is, simply, one of the best and most interesting 2 or 3 filmmakers working today. I wouldn't go as far as to say that all of his films are masterpieces, but even his misses are interesting. There Will Be Blood and The Master are, plain and simply 2 of the finest films of the last several decades. It goes without saying that Daniel Day-Lewis is simply one of the finest actors of all time, so the reunion of the artists responsible for There Will Be Blood is not to be missed. Reynolds Woodcock is an enigmatic and mercurial fashion designer in 1950's London, and Phantom Thread focuses on his relationship with Alma, his latest muse. This film is simultaneously gorgeous, disturbing, and a portrait of an artist, artistry, and the relationship that turns his world upside down. If DDL (who has announced his retirement from acting) wins best actor he'll tie Katherine Hepburn for the most wins all time & the fact that Vicky Kriebs wasn't nominated is an absolute crime. 9/10
Lady Bird Writer/director Greta Gerwig, known primarily as an actress up to this point, although that's now surely to change - created this charming & autobiographical coming of age story that is perfectly brought to life by star Saoirse Ronan. Set in the early 2000's, this flick hit close to home and struck a lot of fun and sentimental notes. It falls short of true greatness mostly due to hitting a ton of familiar and cliche indie notes and settling for a lot of easy jokes, but it's a sweet & sentimental portrait of a time and place that feels very familiar. Laurie Metcalf deserves her best supporting actress nomination as Lady Bird's mom, as most of the film's most powerful material is mined from that relationship. 8.5/10
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri I'm an unabashed fan of writer/director Martin McDonagh, and In Bruges is one of my absolute favorite films. This flick was a lot of fun, in a similar if more serious vein to In Bruges and Seven Psychopath, with an absolutely stacked cast. Frances McDormand deserves her accolades, Sam Rockwell is one of the most fun actors working, and Woody Harrelson makes every single thing he's in that much better. If there's a knock on this one it's that it's being treated like an important commentary on Trump's America instead of what it is - another fun movie from a very fun filmmaker. It's not crucial social commentary, but it IS a well-made, brilliantly acted black comedy that's occasionally hard to watch. 8.5/10
Get Out From writer/director Jordan Peele this one was one of the absolute surprises of the last year and a monster hit. It's not your traditional Best Picture nominee but there's something to be said for including outstanding examples of genres that typically don't receive much attention from the Academy. Star Daniel Kaluuya deserves all of the accolades he's received and he's having himself a heck of a year. At times this film kind of feels like an episode of Black Mirror but that's not necessarily a bad thing. A whip-smart script and a frantic pace combine to make a biting commentary on race relations that doubles as a highly effective thriller. 8/10
Dunkirk I feel like I've been typing "writer/director" a lot on this list, but Christopher Nolan is one of my absolute favorite filmmakers, and is responsible for the Dark Knight films, Inception and Interstellar in the last 10 years alone. So needless to say that a Chris Nolan film can be expected to be two things: exciting and innovative. Pairing such a groundbreaking filmmaker with the seemingly straightforward war story of the miracle of Dunkirk was an intriguing choice, and Nolan certainly delivered, with gorgeous filmmaking combined with a non-traditional narrative to really lend the film a feeling of dread that plays like more of survival story than a historical war drama. The acting is an afterthought given the nature of the narrative, but Mark Rylance in particular was great. 8/10.
The Post In a year that seems to be full of new filmmakers and up and comers, it seems appropriate that Steven Spielberg would be the one representative of Hollywood's old guard. There's nothing spectacular about this film, but it's tremendously acted, well-made, and impeccably timely. Tom Hanks and Meryl Streep would be great in absolutely anything, but the story of the Washington Post and the Pentagon Papers is a worthwhile one. 7.5/10
The Shape of Water Guillermo del Toro has been one of my favorite filmmakers for a while now, and his films, if not always great, are certainly always different and interesting. Here he presents a modern fairy tale set against the backdrop of the Cold War with a great cast. The Beauty and the Beast tale is fun and charming... but there are issues. First, too many of the characters are painted with the absolute broadest of brushes - I'm tired of Michael Shannon playing creeps and Octavia Spencer playing secretary types. They both deserve more. I'm not going to even get into the fish sex, but you know it's there. Abe Sapien forever. 7.5/10
Darkest Hour The world is seemingly Winston Churchill mad at the moment and maybe there's something to be said for nostalgia for a strong, steadfast leader during a time of mediocrity and failure. With that being said, Churchill was gross, and between this, The Crown, Dunkirk, and the rest of the Churchill nostalgia, I am Churchill'd out for all of time. It doesn't help that I fully feel that John Lithgow in the Crown was a better Churchill than Gary Oldman was, with all due respect to the legendary Oldman and his body of work, I just don't think that the cartoonish figure of Churchill is ideally suited to his gifts. Once I found out that the subway scene was made up I was "meh" on this one. 6.5/10. Of all the Best Picture nominees, this was the one that I could've skipped, make of that what you will.
So it's no mystery to anyone who's ever read this blog that I'm not exactly a big horror movie fan. I don't think I've loved a horror film since Cabin in the Woods. (So maybe I only like horror movies with Bradley Whitford/Josh Lyman in them?) I'll get down with a thriller any day of the week - but the trappings of the horror genre generally strike me as manipulative and cliche. But the word on the street about Get Out was such that I felt like I needed to give it a chance. Plus, I'm a Jordan Peele fan - so why not?
Get Out features Chris (Daniel Kaluuya - memorable to me as Emily Blunt's partner in Sicario and the Fifteen Million Credits episode of Black Mirror), a talented photographer living in New York City, and his girlfriend Rose (Allison Williams - also known as the 2nd most obnoxious character on Girls) as they are heading up her parents' home (played memorably by Bradley Whitford and Catherine Keener) for the weekend. It's clear that something is amiss - but is it due to the awkwardness of a black guy meeting a white girl's parents in the country, or something more nefarious?
The Good: this film is incredibly smartly written. There's simply no wasted space here. Everything included is there for a reason, and the racial commentary is biting in the absolute best way. Somehow at once sending up race relations and attitudes and creating a smart, scary and effective horror/thriller film is a serious feat. Jordan Peele of Key and Peele fame wrote and directed this film - and it's quite the achievement. I'm not sure that I've seen something quite this smart and biting in a long time. The best way I can think of to describe it is equal parts Chappelle's Show, Black Mirror, and horror film. Incredibly creative, smart and well done, this is a film well worth watching, even if you aren't a horror fan. I won't get into too many spoilers, but the most effective thing the film does is cast everyday awkward racial interactions as simultaneously cringeworthy awkwardness and signs of nefarious horror-style threats. Kaluuya is great. He gave one of the more memorable performances in all of Black Mirror's run, and he carries this film, bringing just the right mix of charm and skeptical humor to an absurd situation. Allison Williams is very good, as are Whitford and Keener, but the scene stealer is LilRel Howery, as Chris' best friend Rod/comic relief.
The Bad: above I described the film as equal parts Chappelle's Show, Black Mirror and horror film, and that's ultimately the worst thing about the film. Despite how creative and smart it is, it ultimately feels familiar and derivative. It seems to be missing a next level that could have potentially carried it over into GREAT status. Don't get me wrong, this film is an absolute blast and incredibly layered and memorable.
Honestly - maybe don't watch that trailer. It's a little spoiler-y, and maybe you're better off just watching the film. Trust me, you won't regret it. It's a brilliant recasting of race relations and one of the smartest pieces of media I've seen in quite some time. Congrats to Jordan Peele - I look forward to seeing what's next.
