2010s, Awards, Best Movie Bracket, Lists

Best of 2017: Top 5

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This is it. I’ve already looked at the rest of my top 20. you can read them elsewhere on the site. (6-10, 11-15, 16-20). But now, it is time for the cream of the crop. These are the movies that made a lasting impact on me. They changed the game somehow or made it impossible for me to shake them. This will also serve as my Best Movie Bracket entry for 2017. Once I publish this post, I’m going to stop looking back to 2017 and start looking at some of the 2018 movies that I have already missed and that are coming on the horizon.

This year has been one of the more diverse and varied in my recent memory. In this list we have indie films next to billion dollar blockbusters. We have psychological horror next to morally ambiguous drama, next to totally ambiguous metaphorical experimental cinema. Three of these five films have a female as the lead protagonist and we have a black screenwriter/director as well.  The point should never be diversity for the sake of diversity, but these are amazing films and they deserve the credit that they are getting. Let’s dive into my top 5 of the year!

5. mother!

The award for the most audacious, controversial, and avant-garde film this year goes to Darren Aronofsky’s awkwardly titled mother! I hope that you, like me, have been shrieking the name like Norman Bates from Psycho every time it comes up in conversation. This is a film that many did not appreciate but that I could not forget. I left the theater thinking about it and as my whole family can attest, I did not stop talking about it and pondering it for days and weeks afterwards.

Jennifer Lawrence plays the titular character and is featured in close-up, over the shoulder, or from her point of view for nearly the entire film. This promotes a claustrophobic feeling within this house which she is painstakingly attempting to restore to its former glory. She does all of this for her husband, played by Javier Bardem, who is known only as Him or the poet. The entire film is a metaphor or allegory for a multitude of different things that have been debated since its release. They are probably all somewhat right in their own way.

We’ve got an allegory of the biblical creation story mixed with a little bit of awaited messiah worship. These biblical themes are overlaid with a struggling creative type who ruins his relationships with his writers block and subsequent struggle with newfound fame and mixed in for good measure is a metaphor for climate change and environmentalism. Essentially, it is a big jumbled mess, but it is marvelous and hideous to behold all at the same time.

4. Get Out

Jordan Peele, half of the comedy duo, Key and Peele, writes and directs his first film. This is not the comedy that you might expect, if it is a comedy at all. We are presented with the story of a young black man invited to a weekend at the family home of his white girlfriend.

This could be the source of an interesting romantic comedy, but there is something wrong with this setting that we just can’t put our finger on. Is it the overt anti-racist statements that her father makes? “I would have voted for Obama for a third term if I could.” Why are the two servants the only black people around and why are they acting weird? Is this all just in his head? Is he being racist to think that there must be something else going on under the surface?

This will go down in a long line of movies that use racism as a theme, like American History X, The Help, Django Unchained, Crash, and Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner. However, this film is unique because it turns the horror genre on its head. There is no boogeyman, no monster in the closet, there is no supernatural force of evil. The nefarious evil of Get Out is displayed in the white people who cannot be trusted. It is so impactful because this fear is something that is all too real for many young black men all over this country. We might hope that we would have moved on from racism in our country, but it is alive and well and it’s just as ugly, evil, and scary as any movie monster.

3. Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

It may sound like I love horror movies based on the marketing of my two previous choices. The fact is that I love movies that do things differently that other films that I’ve already seen. I like original concepts and execution that is done with high quality.

In Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri we get a more conventional narrative story but the psychology of its characters pushes it into the outstanding category. It is a dark comedy to be sure. Coming from Martin McDonagh, who brought us In Bruges, I would expect nothing less, but as with that film there is also earth shattering heartbreak and pain. This is the duality of the world that we live in. There are notes of joy, beauty, grace and absurdity punctuated by hate, violence, hypocrisy, and apathy.

Frances McDormand is a force of nature. She carries such emotion through her performance that we can’t help but root for her even though she is crude, mean-spirited, and hateful. The growth of all of the characters is what keeps us rooted as viewers to this story. We know that her meanness is coming from a place of deep pain and sorrow and we want to see justice. We also see the ignorance and racism of the deputy played by Sam Rockwell. Our desire to see the good in people leads us to hope for his change and redemption. This film delivers on all sides.

2. Logan

I hope you can see from this choice that I am not like most critics. I try to take a look at all different types of film regardless of their standing within a particular community. I cross the gap so a film like Logan can go toe to toe with an indie film that only saw a limited release. I try to look at each film for what it is and for its merits and efforts to do what it set out to do.

I was looking forward to Logan since the initial teaser trailer and the revelation that a big budget R-rated Wolverine film would now be sharing my name. As the campaign continued I only got more excited to see that we were going to be exploring the Old Man Logan story line from the comics. We were going to see Hugh Jackman in his final performance as the adamantium-clawed anti-hero and he was going to be grizzled and broken.

The film joins Logan years into the future where no new mutants have been born and most of the old mutants are mysteriously absent. We get some beautiful touches of the paternal relationship between Logan and Charles Xavier played expertly by Patrick Stewart in his final role of the franchise as well.

The thing that impressed me the most about Logan was that there were huge sections of the film that I forgot this was supposed to be a superhero movie. It took its time in storytelling and character building and we are left with beautifully stark western about the consequences of a life of violence and how there can be hope for change but not without sacrifices. It is rich and deep and immensely entertaining for a fan of the X-Men but even if you’ve never picked up a comic book or seen another superhero film this is a story that will resonate and hit deeply.

1. The Florida Project

If you follow any of my social media feeds, it should come as no surprise that this is on the top of the heap for my year end list. I’ve been in love with this film since I first saw it. I love the style that Director, Sean Baker, brings to the table. It is rich and grounded and humanistic. All of his stories have been semi-documentarian. Starlet and Tangerine both focus on sex workers and their real-life struggles in a fictionalized setting. However, this is his most accessible film and it drips with charm.

The film was actually shot on site at a budget motel in Orlando outside Disney World called the Magic Castle. During filming, the motel was still operational, so many of the people featured in the film as extras were actually real residents of the motel. Willem Dafoe brings an air of gravitas to the role of Bobby, the on-site motel manager. He’s playing against type for him and is warm and paternal with many of the residents and their kids, however he still buzzes around this castle keeping it magical.

 There really isn’t much of a story in a narrative sense. We just get to spend a portion of the summer with a couple of families that live in this budget motel. Our main characters are young mom Halley and her precocious young daughter Mooney. The trick of the film is that the movie is told from the perspective of the kids. We are seeing this world with all of the potential wonder and hope while we keep our knowledge and it makes a profound difference. What kind of trouble will Mooney get into, is that going to affect Halley’s ability to raise her?

Can meaning be found in the shadow of the false god of consumerism? Is there happiness when the happiest place on earth is out of your reach. The film struggles with deep religious and philosophical and religious themes without ever mentioning any of them or having an expository scene. It is also a marvel to behold with gorgeous cinematography from Alexis Zabe who’s only other credit that I recognized was the music video for Pharrell Williams’ hit song “Happy.” His use of color and framing was so vivid and rich and reminded me of Wes Anderson in a good way without becoming distracting. This will be added to my Blu-Ray collection as soon as I can add it and I would encourage you to do the same.

So that’s it for 2017. Next up, I’m hopefully going to be looking at the recent Alex Garland follow-up to Ex Machina, staring Natalie Portman, Annihilation. Stay tuned for that. In the meantime, please let me know your top handful for the year. You can always comment here at LifeattheMovies.com, but you can also visit me on various forms of social media and let me know your thoughts/opinions and leave snide comments.

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2010s, Action, Article, Best Movie Bracket, Biopic, Comedy, Drama, Heist, Lists, Musical, Prison, Reviews, Romance, Sports, True Story

Best of 2017: Insiders 6-10

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After getting a bit sidetracked with Oscar predictions, let’s get back to the Best of 2017. You can see my 11-15 and 16-20 as well, but as we enter the coveted top 10, we find some truly remarkable films that resonated with me personally. I am proud of the diversity of films from drama to action to biopic. Let’s go!

10. Logan Lucky

Steven Soderbergh comes out of retirement to make his best since the original Ocean’s Eleven remake. He shows off his flair for visual storytelling and gives us a hillbilly fairy tale wrapped up in a heist movie. The cast of characters is outrageous, the premise is outlandish, and the film is outstanding.

The film centers around the Logan brothers played by Adam Driver and Channing Tatum and their plan to rob Charlotte Motor Speedway in efforts to break the 100 year old Logan family curse. Other cast members include Riley Keough, Daniel Craig, Seth MacFarlane, Sebastian Stan, Hillary Swank, Katie Holmes, Dwight Yoakam, and so many more deliciously funny characters.

I know many people who might not be as stereotypically country as these characters are but who suffer from a curse nonetheless. This curse of living paycheck to paycheck and being overlooked and derided is turned on its head as they mastermind a heist that would make Danny Ocean jealous. It is a hilariously wild ride, with a strong focus on family and a message about changing your station in life that might surprise you.

9. Phantom Thread

In opposition to the previous entry, Phantom Thread is set in the alluring world of 1950s British couture. Paul Thomas Anderson helms what is supposed to be Daniel Day-Lewis’ final performance. The previous collaboration of these two produced one of my favorite movies of all time, There Will Be Blood. I hope this isn’t the last we see from Daniel Day-Lewis because he is one of the greatest actors of our time and he has much more to give. However, if he did choose to make this film his last it would be a fitting close to an amazing career.

Hey plays Reynolds Woodcock who is a fictional mashup of several real designers from this time-frame. He is an exacting personality, he is brilliant but petulant and spoiled. The best thing about this film was the surprising humor. It arises from places you would not expect and the whole story goes in a direction that subverts the viewers expectations. It is a twisted picture of love, relationships, and power.

8. I, Tonya

Much like Phantom Thread, in I, Tonya we have a unique character study with dark humor that springs from odd places. People my age and older may think they know this story. We watched much of it play out on television. It happened right at the beginning of this new trend of 24/7 news coverage. So for weeks, you could not escape the saga of Nancy Kerrigan and Tonya Harding.

The story is so strange because of the varied and conflicting versions of the story that come from all sides. Instead of trying to present the truth, it seemed to leave us in an ambiguous place where we are rooting for the good in Tonya while still seeing he faults and part to play in the whole fiasco. Violence was the language that these people spoke and while that does not excuse any actions, it does provide a picture of the twisted mindset that could commit this crime.

Part of me wonders how much coverage this story would have received without the media coverage that it received. Did our thirst of “news” as entertainment feed into this? Because just as soon as a bigger story came along we were off on our next witch hunt. Today, this thirst has grown exponentially to the point that this story would have been nothing more than a blip on our Twitter feeds that would disappear within a few moments as soon as the next viral video appeared.

Margot Robbie and Sebastian Stan were very good, and the visuals could almost fool me to think that Margot Robbie trained to actually complete a triple Axel just for this film. The way that they filmed the skating sequences was captivating as well with the camera moving fluidly around the skater as the perform on the ice. However, the real star and one of the best overall performances of the year was from Allison Janney who played the cartoonishly evil mother of Tonya. She was wickedly delightful.

7. Baby Driver

The more I think about this movie the higher I want to put it on my list. Looking back in a couple of years after I own this Blu-Ray and watch it 5-6 dozen times it will probably find its way well into the top five. I love that it came in with a modest budget and blew it out of the water showing that you can make original and artful cinema and still make loads of money.

When I mention Edgar Wright, you might recognize the name from Shaun of the Dead, or Hot Fuzz. Here Edgar wright uses more of his distinct visual style and uses it to craft a musically choreographed heist film. Do yourself a favor and watch the first 6 minutes of the film. If it strikes your fancy then you will love the whole film. If it doesn’t then you may be doing something wrong.

My one issue with the film is that the whole thing isn’t presented as a musical. There are certainly musical elements and complete scenes that are linked directly to the music we hear, but I would have loved to see a full blown action centered La La Land type film.

6. Lady Bird

I have to admit that I jumped pretty hard on the Lady Bird bandwagon, and it’s hard not to. It is delightful. Its simplicity is part of its charm. However, I think that the simplicity might keep it from taking home any of the 5 Oscars it is nominated for on Sunday. But that is okay. It doesn’t need to be controversial or flashy to draw attention.

I feel like Lady Bird was so well loved because the characters albeit quirky are so accessible. Have you ever wanted to spread your wings and escape from your town or your school or your family? Everyone has! So much of this comes from the performances of Soairse Ronan and Laurie Metcalf. Ronan manages to capture that odd teenage limbo between the confidence in their own abilities and the realization that they are clueless as they prepare to leave.

Did anyone else feel like Metcalf appeared out of nowhere like someone had her locked in a time capsule since Roseanne. She was so good. She was warm and motherly and cold and calculated all in the same scenes. I have to give a small shout out to Tracy Letts as well as the dad. With three teenagers or nearly teenagers of my own I always look out for great father figures and he is now up there with the likes of Stanley Tucci from Easy A.

Did you hate any of these movies? Am I out of touch because I chose an Oscar bait movie like Phantom Thread or do I need to give up my Movie cred because I liked a trailer trash movie like Logan Lucky? I want to see your top 10 lists, leave me a comment here or shoot me a message on social media!

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2010s, Awards, Great Movies, Television

Oscar Outlook: Best Picture

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The Oscars are almost here and I’m excited to talk about the biggest award of the night. We sit through all the other awards to see which film is going to take home Best Picture. I remember my father having a poster of all the Best Picture Academy Award winners from 1927 – 1991. I studied that list of films, many of which I had never even heard of, much less seen. But it gave me a sense of this world of films that I was stepping into at just 10 years old.

I remember watching Billy Crystal hosting that next year’s Oscars. I remember asking about some of these films that I was too young to watch and begging my parents to let me see them. My father was a collector of VHS films during those days and once I could get my hands on it, one afternoon as a latch-key kid, I remember watching the Best Picture winner of 1992, Clint Eastwood’s Unforgiven. I think 10 year old me probably would have ranked Aladdin above Unforgiven (35 year-old me might just do the same thing), but I was hooked and wanted more.

Since those days, I remember watching all kinds of films from Hitchcock and Kubrick to westerns and war films. I had developed a taste and would never go back. Perhaps this year, there will be another 10 year old boy who might watch to hear “Remember Me” from Coco, but will stay up late to hear the proclamation of the Best Picture of the year and might ask his parents if he can see Dunkirk or Lady Bird. The Oscars are a love letter to the cinema that we adore so deeply and cherish so fondly.

Best Picture

And the nominees are…

  • The Shape of Water
  • Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
  • Darkest Hour
  • Call Me By Your Name
  • Dunkirk
  • Get Out
  • Lady Bird
  • Phantom Thread
  • The Post

Who Will Win

When nominations were first announced the clear favorite seemed to be The Shape of Water. However, it seems that the tides have turned towards my pick which is Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. I’m happy with this change because I did not enjoy The Shape of Water as much as many of my movie loving friends. Three Billboards, on the other hand, has grown on me and found itself squarely in my top five movies of 2017. It could very easily be the big winner of the night with Best Picture, Actress, and Supporting Actor. What a shame that Martin McDonagh was not even nominated for direction. This original screenplay is also nominated but will most likely lose to Get Out.

Outside Chance

Of course, it is very possible that The Shape of Water could hold onto its original popular sentiment and win. The film is gorgeous, but I think Guillermo Del Toro’s Pan’s Labyrinth was so much better. I would be shocked if Get Out squeaked away with the victory, but it is not out of the realm of possibility. I really enjoyed Get Out, it was one of the best theater going experiences of the year. It is currently ranked just below Three Billboards in my top 10 of 2017.

Who Should Win

This is probably cheating, but if I had one wish, it would be for Warren Beatty to come out with Faye Dunaway for their second chance to announce the Best Picture award after last year’s fiasco, and I want him to rip up the ballot and declare that The Florida Project is the best movie of the year. It is available for streaming right now on iTunes, and many other sites. It has so much heart, imagination, and despair all wrapped up in a seedy hotel nestled just off I-4 in sunny Orlando, Florida just outside the Happiest Place on Earth.  Watch the trailer below and try not to fall in love with Brooklyn Prince and forget everything you ever though you knew about Willem Dafoe. It was criminal that his performance was their only nomination. This was the only glaring snub that I saw this year.

What do you think? Who will take home all those little golden statuettes tomorrow? Do you care? Will you even be watching? Do you remember some of the first movies that made you love film? Share with me below or send me a message on social media.

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2010s, Actor/Actress, Awards, Television

Oscar Outlook: Male Performance

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What’s happening on Sunday night? That’s right. It’s time for the 90th annual Academy Awards more commonly called the Oscars. The one television program that I make arrangements to watch every year. It is a night to celebrate the movies and to a lesser extent, politics, and other social issues. This is the very reason that I have to watch this without my wife.

Let’s keep looking at the nominees in the major categories, because nobody is talking about Best Adapted Screenplay at the water cooler on Monday, that is unless Logan pulls off a major upset to beat Call Me By Your Name. Instead, all eyes are on the big awards like the two male performance categories that we are going to look at in this post.

Best Actor

And the nominees are…

  • Timothee Chalamet in Call Me by Your Name
  • Daniel Day-Lewis in Phantom Thread
  • Daniel Kaluuya in Get Out
  • Gary Oldman in Darkest Hour
  • Denzel Washington in Roman J. Israel, Esq.
Who Will Win

This is another category with a clear favorite. Gary Oldman will most likely take home his first Oscar on Sunday night after already winning the SAG, BAFTA, and Golden Globe. I loved Darkest Hour. I’m a fan of history (when presented to me in 2-3 hour segments in a dramatic way). When I first saw the makeup that transformed Gary Oldman into Winston Churchill, I was amazed and knew that we were going to see them nominated and probably winning for Best Hair and Makeup.

After watching the film though, I forgot it was Oldman under that makeup. I was completely enthralled with the story and sold on his passion and eccentricities. Oldman is known for being immensely flexible in his range and he has sunk deeply into characters before. Think of Dracula, True Romance, Sid and Nancy, and many more, but he has never been this electric and transparent in such an accessible and moving film.

Outside Chance

There are some rumors that the new kid on the block Timothee Chalamet could pull an upset. I think this is highly unlikely. While Call Me By Your Name does tick a lot of the Oscar’s boxes for being relevant politically and socially, when those anonymous votes get tallied, I don’t think the voters  ) find a majority to vote for the most pretentious and self-indulgent movie of the year. Fun fake fact: Peach sales have increased by 15% since the movie’s release.

Who Should Win

The Academy is probably trending towards the correct choice at this point. Part of me would love to see Daniel Day-Lewis take home his fourth Oscar in six nominations. That would give him the best nomination/win batting averages of those with more than five nominations. Compare that to Meryl Streep with her 21 nominations and only three wins. No offense to either Daniel Kaluuya or Denzel Washington who I thought were great in their roles but they don’t have a chance of winning.

Best Supporting Actor

And the nominees are…

  • Willem Dafoe in The Florida Project
  • Woody Harrelson in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
  • Richard Jenkins in The Shape of Water
  • Christopher Plummer in All the Money in the World
  • Sam Rockwell in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Full disclosure: This is the only category in which I still have a blind spot. I missed All the Money in the World so I can’t comment on Christopher Plummer’s quick exchange for Kevin Spacey. I’m going to try and catch it before Sunday. I’m sure he is wonderful, but part of me thinks this is one of those political statement nominations.

Who Will Win

Sam Rockwell is the odds on favorite to win this and I couldn’t be happier for him. I’ve been keeping an eye on him ever since I saw him play Guy in Galaxy Quest back in 1999. Then when he played Zaphod Beezelbrox in Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy I loved it. But his breakout role was for Duncan Jones criminally underrated sci-fi thriller Moon. Perhaps after he gets the win people will know him by his name instead of “you know, that one guy.”

Outside Chance

As much as I like Sam Rockwell and would love to see him win, in my heart of hearts I want to see Willem Dafoe pull out the victory for his role in the film that affected me more deeply than any other this year. Sean Baker’s The Florida Project was humanistic and rich. Dafoe plays an On-Site Manager for a small slum hotel called the Magic Castle in the shadow of Orlando’s Disney World.

The film was created with many non-actors, and actual residents of the hotel. I was shocked when this wasn’t even nominated for Best Picture because it is worth that accolade and more. There has been some groundswell of support for him in recent days, but I ultimately think that it was just too small of a film to make the impact that the Oscars are looking for.

Who Should Win

Rockwell and Harrelson both provide quality supporting roles to Frances McDormand’s powerhouse performance, but I’m going to go with the little guy and and say that Willem Dafoe should win this category for his supportive and compassionate father figure.

This is all just my speculation and it is all about what amounts to a fancy human horse race. The Academy invariably gets things wrong, they vote based upon popular tides and political leanings. They vote to make statements, and often that means that the true best of the year go by overlooked and under appreciated except by those of us who champion them. Let your voice be heard! Sound off in the comments below or find me on any of the major social media platforms and let’s talk about movies (or other stuff… but mostly movies.)

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2010s, Actor/Actress, Awards, Television

Oscar Outlook: Female Performance

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The Oscars are on Sunday night. I want you to be informed about all the nominees and the stories surrounding their movies and nominations. That way you can be well informed at your Oscar party as you stuff your face full of hors-d’oeuvres.

There is an entire debate about whether or not the Actor and Actress categories should be combined or left separate. I don’t want to get involved in the politics of it, but I do like having separate categories because it means that we can recognize more performers for their craft. In this post, I’m going to look at both the race for Best Actor who happens to be a female and best Supporting Actor who happens to be a female.

Best Actress

And the nominees are…

  • Frances McDormand for Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
  • Saoirse Ronan for Lady Bird
  • Sally Hawkins for The Shape of Water
  • Margot Robbie for I, Tonya
  • Meryl Streep for The Post

Who Will Win

Frances McDormand is the hands down favorite to win this. Honestly, anyone else would be a shock. Three Billboards has grown on me the further I have gotten away from watching it. The film itself had a bit of controversy early on because of its somewhat flippant attitude towards racial violence. However, it lingers and invades in a good way and much of it is due to McDormand’s performance as a tortured mother who lost her daughter in a tragic way and is seeking justice in unconventional means.

This is her 5th nomination, and if all goes according to plan, it would be her 2nd win since her victory for her role in 1996’s Fargo. She has already taken home the Screen Actor’s Guild award, BAFTA, and Golden Globe for this performance, it is hard to think that the Academy will push against this wave of support.

Outside Chance

I guess technically McDormand split the Golden Globe with Saoirse (pronounced “Seer-sha”) Ronan. McDormand won for a dramatic performance and they called Lady Bird a comedy/musical. It’s possible that Saoirse could sneak in to win this, but anyone else is pretty much a statistical impossibility. But it is an honor to just be nominated, right?

Who Should Win

I’m not going to fight this one either, McDormand gave the female performance of the year in my eyes. She commanded the screen and left us broken with her. However, if we take that amazing performance away, I think we would be having a heated race between Saoirse Ronan for her coming of age Lady Bird performance and Margot Robbie as Tonya Harding in I, Tonya. All three of these films are in my top 10 of the year and all are deserving of much credit and praise.

Best Supporting Actress

And the nominees are…

  • Mary J. Blige for Mudbound
  • Allison Janney for I, Tonya
  • Lesley Manville for Phantom Thread
  • Laurie Metcalf for Lady Bird
  • Octavia Spencer for The Shape of Water

Who Will Win

If there were odds on this race, Allison Janney would be so far out front that I could lose money if I bet on her. Regardless, she deserves it! If you haven’t seen I, Tonya because you hate ice skating or whatever or the true crime drama kind of thing, then just watch it for the 5-6 scenes that we get with Allison Janney playing the acidic mother of Tonya Harding. She does more to elevate Margot Robbie’s performance as Tonya than Margot could have ever done on her own. That is why they call it a “Supporting” actor.

Outside Chance

If it comes out this week that Allison Janney is a cannibal and was somehow responsible for the death of Mr. Rogers, she would still win. Not just because voting is already completed but because she is that good.

Who Should Win

Are you listening? Allison Janney should win!

But if we are discounting her, then this would be between Laurie Metcalf as the Mother Bird to Saoirse Ronan’s Lady Bird and a subtle but tenacious performance by Lesley Manville as the sister of the unique and exacting character that was Daniel Day Lewis’ lead character in Phantom Thread. I obviously knew Laurie Metcalf from Roseanne ages ago, but Lesley Manville, I had to look up to see what else she had been in that I had missed. She was my favorite part of that film.

What do you think? Will the stars align for both of these favorites so they leave the stage grasping gold or will there be a shocking upset that we will all be talking about on Monday? I want to hear your opinions. It’s no fun just talking to myself. Let’s start a conversation here or on any of the major social media platforms.

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2010s, Awards, Director, Television

Oscar Outlook: Best Director

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The 90th Academy Awards are this Sunday night. I’ve already made my picks on a couple of the contest sites including the Official Oscar Challenge and Gold Derby where you can play the odds on all kinds of entertainment contests. If you’re feeling old fashioned, you could just print out a ballot and pass it around your office this week. Whether you are going to a fancy Oscar party or just watching in your pajamas, it’s always fun to play along.

With that in mind, I thought in these few days leading up to the biggest night in Hollywood, I would take a few minutes to look deeper at the top categories. Best picture, the four top actor nominations, and of course…

Best Director

Among most of my non-movie friends the Best Director category holds just as much mystery as the Best Production Design might. “Normal” people don;t go around talking about movie in terms of their director. Oftentimes they go unnoticed in the background, and that is how most of them would like to keep it, the exceptions being those few directors that almost demand that their name be read before their movie’s title, like Lee Daniel’s The Butler.

I however, directors do so much to create the films that we see everyday, it is good that they have a few moments in the sun to take credit for the pictures that they have painstakingly collaborated and toiled for years to create.

Even if you have no idea who these people are, you should at least be happy that this isn’t a panel of old white guys. That’s what we usually see, but with last years Oscars so white controversy we have a great deal more diversity this year. I think it certainly helps those efforts that many of the best pictures of the year came from diverse sources and were made by a varied group of individuals. This is a good thing because we need to see films highlighted that reflect our country’s population.

Without further ado, the nominees are…

  • Christopher Nolan for Dunkirk
  • Jordan Peele for Get Out
  • Greta Gerwig for Lady Bird
  • Paul Thomas Anderson for Phantom Thread
  • Guillermo Del Toro for The Shape of Water

Will Win

There is not a doubt in my mind that Guillermo Del Toro will take home the gold on Sunday night. We’ve seen a trend of Hispanic Directors over the last few years with Alejandro G. Innaritu and Alfonso Cuaron. Del Toro should have been Nominated (and probably won) for Pan’s Labyrinth. That movie was better than this one, but the Oscars have a way of righting past wrongs through new awards. See John Wayne’s only Oscar for one of his last films, a good role in True Grit but far from his best.

Outside Chance

If the Academy voters are keen to just hand out diversity nomination but not awards, they could give the trophy to Christopher Nolan for Dunkirk. I think that would be the wrong move, Dunkirk is not Nolan’s best film by far, but he’s been snubbed previously and they could try to make up for that.

Should Win

I’m not one for pandering, but I would love to see either Greta Gerwig or Jordan Peele take home the win. They are only the 5th nominee that is female or African American respectively. Gerwig would be second only to Katherine Bigelow who won a few years ago for The Hurt Locker.

However, my should win has to go to Jordan Peele for his outsanding Directorial debut in the completely original and seamlessly crafted Get Out. He weaved comedy, drama, horror, and political satire into one massively entertaining film and seemingly didn’t even break a sweat. I’m looking forward to what we will see from him next. Part of me wishes the Oscars had a category for best new director so he could at least get full credit there., but unfortunately, he would still be up against Greta Gerwig and the juggernaut that was Lady Bird.

What’s Your Pick?

Who do you think will win? What was your favorite of the year? Do you think that it’s a good thing that we are seeing more diversity represented in these awards? Let your voice be heard in the comments below.

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2010s, Action, Alien/Monster, Awards, Biopic, Detective, Drama, Epic, Great Movies, Horror, Lists, Mystery, Political, Science Fiction, Suspense, Thriller, True Story, War

Best of 2017: Outsiders 11-15

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Let’s continue to look at those just outside of my top ten of 2017. You can also read my #16-20. I’ve seen most of these on other people’s top ten lists and I think that they could all be up there if I was in a different mood. You’ll notice that on most of these mini reviews, I’m not focusing on technical merit or acting unless it was hands down better than anything else I’ve seen this year. Instead, I’m choosing my top films by selecting the ones that resonated the most with me. I hope that you will read my thoughts on these five and give me your thoughts. Link me to your top 10s, Tell me why I’m wrong or what I got right. Continue reading Best of 2017: Outsiders 11-15 →

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1960s, Anniversary, Article, Not New Review, Review, Science Fiction, Space

Planet of the Apes (1968) – 50th Anniversary

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Fifty years ago today, Planet of the Apes was released in theaters. Filmgoers were presented with an alternate future where humans were no longer the dominant species. No longer the strongest. It took audiences by storm and produced four sequels, two television series, numerous graphic novel adaptations, and a remake. Not to mention the recently popular film saga. What is it about this simple sci-fi story that has resonated with our culture for 50 years?

I had never seen the original film until this year in preparation for this article. I have seen all of the new films and have enjoyed most of them but I was honestly surprised how relevant the original still is 50 years later. I believe it worked so well because it held up a mirror to our culture and allowed us to reflect on our actions and behaviors in the light of what really matters to us as a species.

The original 1968 movie mixes political and religious satire, suspense, and action and leads us to a finale with one of the best twists in all of film history. If you don’t know what that twist is then please stop right here and let me express to you that you have an amazing gift right now. Please don’t read any further. Go find a copy of the film (but beware of some of the DVD covers that can even spoil the ending!). There is a new 50th anniversary Blu-ray edition being released this week and you can get it for $8 over at Best Buy. It has the film plus a digital copy and all of the special features that you could want. Enjoy the camp and get swept away to a time when political powers were unstable, the future was uncertain, and the threat of nuclear war was on the public’s mind daily. Even sarcastically you can see how this film still speaks its humanist message loud and clear.

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2010s, Best Movie Bracket

2016 Best Movie Bracket

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Not going to do a full post for this. I just needed to catch up since I started the Best Movie Bracket in 2016 and never got around to posting my bracket for the year. I posted my top 20 over at Letterboxd and it still holds up. I think it’s a pretty solid mix of populist and more obscure films.

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2010s, Article, Film studies, Longform, Review

Aronofsky’s God on Display in mother!

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There is a lot going on in Darren Aronofsky’s new film mother! Some have called it the worst movie of the year, some even claim the century. Yet others have called it truly breathtaking and a creative masterpiece. It is a very polarizing film. Upon first viewing in theaters, I was sold. I couldn’t stop talking about it and thinking about it. Since then it has earned the worst audience score of an F, and been nominated for several Razzies. So why am I “wasting my time” looking at this film that statistically speaking most people will not watch?

There are so many religious messages that I can’t pass it up. It is available on Blu-Ray and streaming now, but I will warn you that this is a film made for one time purposeful viewing. It will stick with you and may haunt you. Beware that there is violent and disturbing imagery and foul language. I believe it is all meant to serve a purpose and it points to a creation, fall, redemption, restoration process that we see in scripture. This is through the eyes of an agnostic at best so it is not at all a perfect or complete picture, but we can clearly see what Aronofsky thinks of this God and his followers through his creation.

I can’t wholeheartedly recommend this film. It is a very difficult watch. But to serve any purpose I must dive deeper in discussion of the story that the film presents. To look at it from the surface it is just torture porn wrapped in religiosity, but if we will take time to go deeper, we can glean some tremendous insights. This is my last warning. Massive spoilers ahead! If you are up to it, let’s dive in.

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"Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in awhile, you could miss it."