I’ve carried on this “Oscar Adventure” of seeing each Best Picture nominee before the Academy Awards telecast for each year since 1997. When the films that have been nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture are announced, I check and see which ones I’ve already seen and then I make a point to see all the remaining ones before the Oscar telecast (which for this year, takes place Sunday, February 26th, 2017).
For anyone who might be interested, here’s my list of the 9 Best Picture nominees in descending order of how much I liked them. The criteria I use to judge the nominees is a long, convoluted mix of cinematic artistry and entertainment. I try to go into each film viewing with zero expectations and as little knowledge of the plot as possible. And I always try to form the basis of each review immediately after the film is done, jotting down notes that I later turn into these write-ups.
Thank you for taking the time to read them. I hope you enjoy it.
(FYI: I’ve tried to avoid spoilers. Click the film’s title for more info on the film from imdb.com)
1. La La Land
This film is full of kinetic energy. It is light and color and sound on full display, but also holding a quiet current of emotion under all of that sparkle and music. It translates the musical genre in a way that makes it surprisingly subtle and sweet, whereas your expectations might be loud and bombastic (or at least mine usually are, what with the idea of “traditional” musicals). This film is whimsical & lovely – a love poem to old Hollywood and to jazz at the same time. It fuses the two together to make a wholly unique hybrid that has surprising appeal. The music and dancing are, however, a mere backdrop to a surprisingly powerful tale of love. It delivers the story of a relationship that is a poignant and emotional – frustrating and satisfying all at once. There were parts in the film in which the energy waned but it seemed to be in service to the story at those points – it HAD to wane there, in a way. Still, sitting through those stretches felt a bit like a drag compared to the live wire of the rest of the film. I consciously thought to myself toward the end of the film, “I like this movie” but as it built and built and to it’s near-perfect conclusion, my thoughts shifted from”I like this movie,” to “I really really really liked this movie,” to “Damn, I think I love this movie.” I’m fast becoming a big fan of director Damien Chazelle, who also directed Whiplash–my favorite film from the 2015 Awards. I think this one will take the Best Picture prize this year. It’s all that Hollywood loves about itself. But beyond that, it is completely deserving.
Rating: 96 (out of 100)
2. Lion
I went into this film completely blind to it and unknowing of anything about it other than one of it’s lead actors (Dev Patel) being in it. If you haven’t seen this film and know nothing of it and you want to possibly have the same reaction to it that I did, stop reading this now and go find it. I highly recommend watching it like this if you can.
This is an amazing film. It is beautiful and poetic, but also emotionally exhausting and heart wrenching. It is a true-life story that is almost too incredible to believe. The films is full of grand, sweeping cinematic shots but also the quietest of moments – small and telling. It grips you from the beginning and weaves its story in a way that has you anticipating and waiting anxiously to see how it ends. And its coda leaves you with a truly special feeling of something bigger than this film. There is some truly remarkable acting within this film. The young star (Sunny Pawar) is mesmerizing. And Patel and Nicole Kidman offer award-worthy performances, themselves (though I doubt either win for their nominations). This is simply put, an incredible film. My only complaint is that it slows a bit in the second half as the story bogs down in a slightly overwrought and superficial approach to the inner turmoil of its characters but this does somewhat help to serve the conclusion that follows. I doubt it will win the top prize, but I think it is wholly deserving of it. It is true art – emotional, beautiful and affecting.
Rating: 95
3. Hell or High Water
This film is superb. I thoroughly enjoyed it. It is patient and exacting in its approach–taking its time to tell a simple story, but one that is filled with surprising depth and pathos thanks to compelling characters and fine acting (Jeff Bridges gives an award worthy performance). The film drops you right into the story and brings you up to speed on the plot in an wickedly efficient manner that makes me wish other films were this crisp with their exposition. The film is dusty and old fashioned, reflecting the look and feel and atmosphere of its Western setting. It feels like a worthy throwback to the high noon cowboy showdown stories of the past but with a layer on modern angst that sets it apart. It carries a low lying tension throughout the course of the film and it never lets up – not one bit – choosing when to tighten its reigns on the viewer, as needed. The film is spot-on at almost every point with a few exceptions – namely the action sequences that sometimes betray the calculated cool and skill of the quieter scenes, as well as just a few acting overindulgences and missteps. Overall, though, I can say that I thoroughly enjoyed this film. It is high quality cinema.
Rating: 92
4. Hidden Figures
This is a really good film. It shines a welcomed light on an overlooked part of history. It’s clear-eyed and pure in spirit but not heavy handed or maudlin (which I feared it might be, going into it). There is some great acting on display and it features a script of weighted intelligence that doesn’t gloss over the math and skill at the core of the story. But it doesn’t bog you down in this dense subject matter either. The film is engaging and entertaining and quite fun, even when it’s working with the parts of the story that are, for the most part, known to the viewer (the early days of NASA shuttle launches). It creates plausible drama and tension that keeps your eyes on the screen. My biggest quibbles with the film have to do more with a technical variety – at times it’s pedestrian in it’s cinematic language and there are some frustrating moments where something as simple as lens focus is an issue. There is also an issue with one of the characters being so badly one-note as a foil – it’s frustrating as it stands out quite noticeably. But the wit of the script, the skill in the performances and the pitch-perfect musical score lift the film up in spite of these minor setbacks. I really enjoyed this film. It’s probably the most accessible (i.e. mainstream) of all the nominees but it earns its status a quality piece of filmmaking.
Rating: 87
5. Arrival
This film is both slick and clean – like a museum piece on display in the middle of a stark white room. But it also quite textured and soft – welcoming for the viewer to immerse yourself in its world. It is a well-made film with a very sober, practical approach to what is an unbelievable story. The characters are somewhat thin, like chess pieces in a very intricate game. They are put in place for the purpose of the story but we really don’t get to see too much depth with them and as such, the acting is fairly one-note. Some characters are simply there to be a foil and that’s always a frustrating thing for me as I look for just the slightest bit of nuance. But the story is sharp and well constructed. It works well at understanding the viewer’s expectations and tinkering with them as it goes along. The film is a bit too artsy for its own good at times and it feels like a BIG IMPORTANT film that doesn’t seem to fit into its size. Though it’s a very engaging film, it is also somewhat slow at times – like it’s wanting to build up to its conclusion but teasing the viewer by making you wait for it even though there’s not nearly enough substance to justify the wait. This slow burn approach works when it’s all said and done but in watching it move along, there are points of frustrating impatience – and considering the film is based on a short story rather than a full novel, this makes sense. I liked this film and it’s certainly worthy of a nomination. It’s a challenging film in more ways than one. But overall, it works well and stands tall as quality piece of cinema, even with its flaws.
Rating: 86
6. Manchester by the Sea
This a cold & bleak film with the tiniest of flourishes of hope and peace sprinkled throughout. But make no mistake, this is a tough slog. It feels like the filmmakers are a bit sadistic in wanting to take you deeper and deeper into the depths of angst and human despair and leave you there for you watch what goes on in those dark places. It is so brutally effective that it actually hits too close to the heart at times to be able to be processed as a film. You simply absorb it like a blow to the body and you’re left with an ugly, fascinating bruise. But to me, that is true art. This film is well made and incredibly well acted, featuring lived-in performances that make you feel the ache the characters feel. Casey Affleck is deserving of a Best Actor Oscar, should he win. I liken the whole experience of this film to a funeral. You feel like it was worthy and peaceful and fitting, but it is sad and necessary and overpowering, as well. That’s what it is: a funeral of a film. But somehow it succeeds in so many ways and rises above its dark, depressing subject matter. It does have a few too many frustratingly forced trappings of avant garde indie films for my own taste. The narrative is ultimately unsatisfying for a film so firmly set in “life is unfair and life is pain” mindset – it wants to give you a glimpse of hope but it’s a bit too much of a curmudgeon to do so. I can give that lack of completeness a bit of a pass though, seeing as how beautiful and well acted the film is. This as quality drama and affecting cinema. A tough, but ultimately good watch.
Rating: 85
7. Fences
This was a trying film. It tried my patience and it tried my grace. It’s a film of steady drama (that bulges out to melodrama at times) that starts off at an exhaustively frantic pace with its rapid fire dialogue and only lets up ever so slightly at various times. Based on a play, you can see the stage on the screen. The film space has painted a nice veneer over the curtains and the ropes and the sets, but the stage acting is still on full display. Some of it works incredibly well – Denzel Washington is an enigmatic tour de force of pride and frustration (Best Actor worthy) and Viola Davis’ is award-worthy as his devoted wife, with one of the most powerful acting scenes I’ve seen in recent years (I would be surprised if she doesn’t win). But some of the acting doesn’t work. There are minor parts that pale in comparison to the leads, when film wants it all to be on that top tier. I was impressed by Washington’s direction. He’s capable behind the camera and gives the play a film quality in some truly interesting ways. Overall, this film is well made and you can see the craftsmanship. But is overwrought and repetitive at times–it got to be a little laborious getting beaten over the head with the morals of the film’s flawed characters. And it is piercingly sad throughout, giving only the slightest bits of relief in tiny flourishes. I don’t need the films I watch to be all smiles and happiness, but damn… I don’t want to sit there the entire time half cringing from the pain and angst, either. I can’t recommend this film but I can appreciate the craft that went into making it and what it’s trying hard to be. For me though, it’s only a decent piece of cinema and in my opinion, questionably worthy of it Best Picture nomination.
Rating: 78
8. Moonlight
This film is frustrating. It is quite stylish and it’s subject matter is truly unique but it also much simpler than I was expecting (and wanting). It features nuanced and restrained acting. The characters feel real, but distant. The film tells a story that has seldom ever been touched but it stays at arms length from it – and this separation is where my frustration originates. It drops you into the story and entices you to invest in it, but then gives you only the smallest morsels to piece it all together. You want to step closer to it and learn more about it, but much like the main character, it remains distant and aloof… cryptic. So the result is a feeling of incompleteness that at times manifests itself as simplicity. Truth be told, I may have went into this viewing with too high of expectations as I had heard good things about it. That being said, it’s well made and artistically adept. There are some truly interesting visual flourishes that pop up here and there that make me wish for more of that approach when sadly, it’s much more basic throughout. Overall, I found the film to be rather boring and lacking.
Rating: 76
9. Hacksaw Ridge
This film features an incredible true story of conviction and bravery. The story is tailor-made for a dramatic film – and I think therein lies a bit of the problem I have with this film. It was pushing all the buttons of a heavy, dramatic war film – ones like we’ve seen time and again over the years of cinema. This feels like a war film made by a guy who’s seen a lot of war films. It’s at it’s strongest when it focuses on that heroism and dedication of the main character. It falters when it veers away from him to focus on the chaos around him. I was particularly struck by the odd choice to offer up a completely new side story – truly from out of nowhere – in the film’s rushed climactic battle. This film is made with care and craft but it’s a bit too overly produced. It’s over-lit at times and much too slick for the time period it’s depicting. But then it seems to counter this notion by offering up some of the goriest blood and mud you’ll see in a depiction of war – to the point of being gratuitous. Ultimately, it’s an echo of a war film. But it never truly rises above the films that came before it that it’s echoing. It’s probably not fair to compare it to past films in this manner, but for a film so versed in the cinematic history of battle, you can’t help but do just that. There is solid acting from the lead (I would have liked to see a more fleshed out reasoning for his faith and mindset rather than the matter of fact approach the film gives it early on) but the rest of the cast, down the line, is borderline cliche in their roles – which only further supports the feeling of an echoed film of war. I will say that to learn of the true story on which it’s based was well worth the experience. And the film’s coda gives you a fitting statement on the bravery of our nation’s soldiers and what they’ve sacrificed over the years. From a film standpoint, though, this is merely a decent piece of cinema and nothing more.
Rating: 75
So that’s it. That’s my take on the 9 nominees. Let me know what you think in the comments. What was your favorite film? Am I wrong on some of my takes – or spot on? I’d love to hear your thoughts.
I love this annual tradition. I hope you’ve enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed watching the films and writing it.
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