The Pics
Previous Reviews
Hail, Caesar/Deadpool
Zootopia
Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice
Mr. Right
The Nice Guys
Finding Dory
Cafe Society/Ghostbusters
Collateral Beauty
Jackie
Moonlight
Hell or High Water: Wittier, more tightly written version of No Country for Old Men.
Everybody Wants Some!!: At one point a character states "It's all about finding tangents within the framework" while taking a bong hit. I doubt any scene could more perfectly describe Richard Linklater's aesthetic.
Everybody Wants Some!! is a fantastic exploration of masculinity and fraternity, and how it can be both wonderful and toxic. I think what elevates this movie from good to great is the end, when the jocks crash the theater party. On the surface the two groups couldn't seem more different; but we get to see that for both groups, the excitement and fear of a once-big fish moving to a bigger pond is universal. Zooey Deutch is a revelation in this act - she steals all her scenes and manages to create a character every bit as compelling as any of the baseball players. I would really love to see a sequel to this movie about her quest to find her place within the collegiate theater world.
Manchester By the Sea: All the ingredients are there for this to be an amazing movie about love, loss, and confronting your past. Lee Chandler's is given a really sparse script, and so the movie needs its lead actor to do a lot of heavy lifting. The movie really needed someone expressive like Daniel Day-Lewis or Leonardo DiCaprio to emote the character's journey. Instead we get 2 hours of blank stares from Casey Affleck. I understand why the film has gotten so much critical acclaim, but it didn't work for me.
Lion: Solidly plotted and acted, but I was really hoping there would be more emphasis on the actual process of Saroo finding his old location.
Miss Sloane: To enjoy this movie requires suspending disbelief to an absurd degree - but if you're willing to make the leap that one person could engineer such a web of machinations, boy is this movie thrilling. Personally I really loved Jessica Chastain's performance - she creates a compelling, 3-dimensional character that always keeps the audience guessing. The final twist was a little predictable, and the movie is too focused on manufacturing twists and red herrings to be as insightful as it wants to be about our current political landscape, but the movie makes for a fun two hours.
Fences: For most of the movie I was exasperated by Denzel Washington's overacting. As the movie went on though I saw that this was by design - Troy needs to keep talking, not just so he can lie to others but because he needs to keep lying to himself. They way the movie builds him up before slowly peeling away at the truth is really impressive. I thought Denzel's performance was fine, but ultimately Viola Davis's was the real standout for me.
Hacksaw Ridge: Amazing cinematography and shot composition and delightfully cheesy performance from Andrew Garfield. This movie badly needed to edit down its first act though - I wish I had fast forwarded through all the scenes with Doss and his eventual wife.
Hidden Figures: There's been enough said/written about the amazing writing and acting in this film. One small thing I especially liked is that that Kevin Costner's character isn't depicted as some sort of moral savior, but rather a pragmatist. Like Moonlight (and unlike Fences), Hidden Figures is important without trying to be so.
April and the Extraordinary World: Wonderful update to the steampunk canon that more than lives up to its name; I love what it has to say about the wonders and merits of science (even if that probably won't make it popular in the Trump White House).
Moana: The plot is formulaic (except for the refreshing non-necessity of the female hero to find a romantic savior), the humor often falls flat, and I thought the musical numbers often ground the pace to a halt. But ultimately the movie works because the characters are so well-developed. I can't wait to see how Auli'i Cravalho's career unfolds.
La La Land: The opening number takes place on (another) sunny day; the melody and choreography are upbeat and optimistic. The scene's visceral optimism makes it easy to lose sight of the hint of desperation and fear in the lyrics. It's not as efficient as the famous switchboard scene from A Star is Born, but it epitomizes the movie's aesthetic pretty well. The film expresses genuine nostalgia for the musicals of yesteryear, but I love that it's equally wary of nostalgia's hallucinatory power.
As someone who's always been fascinated by the mythos of Hollywood and who can't stop analyzing the alternative paths my life could have taken, La La Land spoke to me on a really deep level. I firmly believe Moonlight should win best picture, but I won't complain if/when it's La La Land.
Rogue One: There are definite problems with Rogue One. The first act is really haphazard and sloppy in its introduction the characters. The second act adds little to the narrative. The third act needed more exposition - the final heist was more confusing than it needed to be. And I really could do without the big speeches. Ultimately though, it's better than The Force Awakens because Jyn Erso is infinitely more developed than anyone in TFA, and Rogue One is actually about something other than "'Memba how cool Star Wars used to be??". Rogue One is far from perfect, but it perfectly captures the emotional stakes of war and rebellion, and I think I can confidently call this the fourth best Star Wars movie.
(Side Note: I was all-in on on The Force Awakens last year. I've come around to how bad it was, mostly thanks to Film Crit Hulk's smash. I was fooled by Abrams, and also so nostalgic and desperate for another good Star Wars movie that I never bothered to consider whether the plot or characters had a coherent progression. Welp.)
Loving: Perfect example of how for directors, less can be more.
Arrival: I love this movie. I love way it contrasts circles and squares to express the power and necessity of communication. I love using a sci-fi movie to make the case that language the humanities are just as important as STEM. Amy Adams is absolutely perfect in defining how both the other characters and the audience experience the all the plot developments. Between this and Sicario, Dennis Villanueve is quickly becoming one of my favorite directors.
Kubo and the Two Strings: Beautifully animated, bittersweet ode to the power of (visual) storytelling. I just wish it hadn't been so one the nose about its themes in the final battle. Also it would've been nice if the cast weren't so whitewashed given the film's heavy east Asian influences.
Passengers: How could anyone possibly find this movie endearing?
Don't Think Twice: I can't think of a movie that better captures the heartache of seeing your best friends outpace you in life.
Fatastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: Solid addition to the Harry Potter anthology, which makes a convincing case that the animals that inherit the magical world are just as compelling as the witches and wizards. The supporting performances (especially Dan Fogler and Alison Sudol) are excellent - but Eddie Redmayne's performance is shockingly bland and forgettable.
The Picks
Best Animated Feature
4. Moana
3. April and the Extraordinary World
2. Kubo and the Two Strings
The Pick: Zootopia
The Prediction: Moana
Best Adapted Screenplay
5. Lion
4. Loving
3. Hidden Figures
2. Arrival
The Pick: Moonlight
The Prediction: Hidden Figures
Best Original Screenplay
5. The Nice Guys
4. Everybody Wants Some!!
3. Hell or High Water
2. La La Land
The Pick: Zootopia
The Prediction: La La Land
Best Supporting Actress
5. Angourie Rice (The Nice Guys)
4. Octavia Spencer (Hidden Figures)
3. Janelle Monae (Moonlight)
2. Zoey Deutch (Everybody Wants Some!!)
The Pick: Viola Davis (Fences)
The Prediction: Viola Davis (Fences)
Best Supporting Actor
5. Kevin Costner (Hidden Figures)
4. Dev Patel (Lion)
3. Ben Foster (Hell or High Water)
2. Jeff Bridges (Hell or High Water)
The Pick: Mahershala Ali (Moonlight)
The Prediction: Mahershala Ali (Moonlight)
Best Actress
5. Ruth Negga (Loving)
4. Emma Stone (La La Land)
3. Taraji P. Henson (Hidden Figures)
2. Amy Adams (Arrival)
The Pick: Natalie Portman (Jackie)
The Prediction: Natalie Portman (Jackie)
Best Actor
5. Joel Edgerton (Loving)
4. Denzel Washington (Fences)
3. Chris Pine (Hell or High Water)
2. Ashton Sanders (Moonlight)
The Pick: Ryan Gosling (The Nice Guys)
The Prediction: Casey Affleck (Manchester by the Sea)
Best Director
5. Tim Miller (Deadpool)
4. Dennis Villanueve (Arrival)
3. Damien Chazelle (La La Land)
2. Richard Linklater (Everybody Wants Some!!)
The Pick: Barry Jenkins (Moonlight)
The Prediction: Damien Chazelle (La La Land)
My Favorite Pictures
10. Hidden Figures
9. The Nice Guys
8. April and the Extraordinary World
7. Deadpool
6. Hell or High Water
5. Arrival
4. La La Land
3. Everybody Wants Some!!
2. Moonlight
1. Zootopia
Best Picture
10. Loving
9. April and the Extraordinary World
8. Kubo and the Two Strings
7. Hidden Figures
6. Everybody Wants Some!!
5. Hell or High Water
4. Arrival
3. La La Land
2. Zootopia
The Pick: Moonlight
The Prediction: La La Land
