A nice film that doesn't stand out to me in any particular aspect, but was an enjoyable time with a couple of great figures. The film rests entirely on the dialogue, which is fine, but pales in comparison to similar films like the BEFORE trilogy.
7.25/10
Sunset Song
These kinds of period pieces are often going to be a few points lower for me, but this movie really bored me. There are some incredibly gorgeous shots and wonderful acting on display, but the unspectacular plot just wasn't enough to hold my attention.
5.5/10
5.5/10
Get Out
It's tight, tense, hilarious, and thrilling all at once. It has layers upon layers, and every single thing has purpose and depth beyond what you think at first glance. It's a tremendous accomplishment.
10/10
10/10
Your Name
Absolutely stunning animation and a beautiful, complex narrative pair to create this fantastic experience. The discovery of the story as it unfolds is a large part of the fun, so try and learn as little as possible before checking this one out.
9/10
9/10
In the Loop
Scathing and hilarious political satire that was the precursor to the wonderful show VEEP. If you like that kind of humor, you'll love this film as well.
9.25/10
9.25/10
A Cure For Wellness
Absolutely gorgeous shots throughout the film, but I found the film's narrative to be lacking. There are some fairly disturbing scenes, and the tension is ratcheted quite effectively, but at the end of the day, the pacing and the bland narrative dragged the film down.
5.5/10
5.5/10
Fist Fight
Pretty funny with some surface-level criticisms of our education system, which I'm always down for. Charlie Day is great, Ice Cube is fine, and Tracy Morgan is excellent as always.
7.5/10
7.5/10
The Autopsy of Jane Doe
A mediocre ghost story with telegraphed, ineffectual jump scares and an underwhelming mystery. Nothing in this film did much for me.
3/10
3/10
The Princess Bride
A timeless classic that truly has it all. A great love story, a pro-reading agenda, comedy, adventure, sword fights, young Fred Savage, Andre the Giant. The list goes on and on. A truly great film.
10/10
10/10
Things to Come
Surprisingly similar to FLORENCE FOSTER JENKINS, the material failed to really connect with me here. This is a slow-paced film about a middle-aged woman's life slowly unraveling, but that happens in a very mundane, uninteresting way.
5/10
5/10
John Wick
A surprising action film with fantastic set-pieces and an excellent emotional core, rewatching this film seems to never get old.
10/10
10/10
Florence Foster Jenkins
Well acted and crafted, although I don't think Streep's performance was strong enough for the Oscar nod. I had a hard time connecting with the material, though.
6.5/10
6.5/10
2017 Oscar Picks and Predictions
Having seen mostly every film up for an Oscar this year, I wanted to share my picks and predictions.
Writing (Original Screenplay)
Pick: The Lobster
Prediction: La La Land
All of these nominations are wonderful, but The Lobster stood above the rest for being so damned unique.
Writing (Adapted Screenplay)
Pick: Arrival
Prediction: Moonlight
Not sure about this one. Another strong field of nominees.
Visual Effects
Pick: Kubo and the Two Strings
Prediction: The Jungle Book
This one could go a few ways, but The Jungle Book is almost 100% VFX. It is a tremendous accomplishment.
[I skipped the sound and short-film categories]
Production Design
Pick: Hail, Caesar!
Prediction: La La Land
Just trying to spread the love here. Hail, Caesar! is a fantastic film, and La La Land is going to win plenty.
Music (Original Song)
Pick: How Far I'll Go (Moana)
Prediction: Audition (The Fools Who Dream) (La La Land)
I think the songs nominated from La La Land are among the worst on the soundtrack, which I absolutely love. This would complete Miranda's EGOT, too, which is awesome. Also, something from Sing Street should definitely be nominated.
Music (Original Score)
Pick: La La Land
Prediction: La La Land
This is what I'm talking about! The original compositions are incredible.
Makeup and Hairstyling
Pick: Star Trek Beyond
Prediction: Star Trek Beyond
I haven't seen A Man Called Ove, so I'm really just praying Suicide Squad wins nothing. Ever.
[I skipped the Foreign Language Films, as I've only seen Toni Erdmann thus far.]
Film Editing
Pick: Moonlight
Prediction: Moonlight
[Skipping Short Subject Documentaries]
Documentary (Feature)
Pick: O.J.: Made in America
Predication: O.J.: Made in America.
I haven't seen Fire at Sea or I Am Not Your Negro yet, but it's hard to compete with something so incredibly well-made that it justifies an almost 9-hour runtime.
Directing
Pick: Moonlight
Prediction: La La Land
Totally fine with any outcome here, although Gibson (for Hacksaw Ridge) seems wildly outclassed.
Costume Design
Pick: Jackie
Prediction: La La Land
Cinematography
Pick: Arrival
Prediction: La La Land
All of the nominees look fantastic. I think Moonlight could win this too, but when it's close, the safe pick is La La Land.
Animated Feature Film
Pick: Kubo and the Two Strings
Prediction: Zootopia
Both are tremendous. Moana is great, but not in the same league. Haven't seen the other two yet, unfortunately.
Supporting Actress
Pick: Naomie Harris (Moonlight)
Prediction: Viola Davis (Fences)
Davis definitely acted her heart out and deserves recognition, but Moonlight was just superbly acted by everyone involved.
Supporting Actor
Pick: Mahershala Ali (Moonlight)
Prediction: Mahershala Ali (Moonlight)
Best Actress
Pick: AMY ADAMS (Arrival)
Prediction: Emma Stone (La La Land)
I can't believe Adams wasn't nominated. What a travesty. Of the nominees, Isabelle Huppert should win for Elle, but I imagine this is Stone, or maybe Streep if they really want a speech from her.
Best Actor
Pick: Viggo Mortensen (Captain Fantastic)
Prediction: Casey Affleck (Manchester By The Sea)
Gosling's performance was a weak part of La La Land, so I'm hoping this goes elsewhere. Affleck's performance was fantastic, but Captain Fantastic needs more love.
Best Picture
Pick: Moonlight
Prediction: La La Land
I think La La Land is probably the fourth or fifth best film, but the subject matter is going to push it up the list among academy voters. It's an okay winner, though. I have Moonlight, Manchester, and Arrival above it. The next tier contains Lion and Hell or High Water, with Hacksaw, Fences, and Figures pretty outclassed. Should be noted, though, that I liked all of these films very much, except for Hacksaw. This was a great group of nominees.
Writing (Original Screenplay)
Pick: The Lobster
Prediction: La La Land
All of these nominations are wonderful, but The Lobster stood above the rest for being so damned unique.
Writing (Adapted Screenplay)
Pick: Arrival
Prediction: Moonlight
Not sure about this one. Another strong field of nominees.
Visual Effects
Pick: Kubo and the Two Strings
Prediction: The Jungle Book
This one could go a few ways, but The Jungle Book is almost 100% VFX. It is a tremendous accomplishment.
[I skipped the sound and short-film categories]
Production Design
Pick: Hail, Caesar!
Prediction: La La Land
Just trying to spread the love here. Hail, Caesar! is a fantastic film, and La La Land is going to win plenty.
Music (Original Song)
Pick: How Far I'll Go (Moana)
Prediction: Audition (The Fools Who Dream) (La La Land)
I think the songs nominated from La La Land are among the worst on the soundtrack, which I absolutely love. This would complete Miranda's EGOT, too, which is awesome. Also, something from Sing Street should definitely be nominated.
Music (Original Score)
Pick: La La Land
Prediction: La La Land
This is what I'm talking about! The original compositions are incredible.
Makeup and Hairstyling
Pick: Star Trek Beyond
Prediction: Star Trek Beyond
I haven't seen A Man Called Ove, so I'm really just praying Suicide Squad wins nothing. Ever.
[I skipped the Foreign Language Films, as I've only seen Toni Erdmann thus far.]
Film Editing
Pick: Moonlight
Prediction: Moonlight
[Skipping Short Subject Documentaries]
Documentary (Feature)
Pick: O.J.: Made in America
Predication: O.J.: Made in America.
I haven't seen Fire at Sea or I Am Not Your Negro yet, but it's hard to compete with something so incredibly well-made that it justifies an almost 9-hour runtime.
Directing
Pick: Moonlight
Prediction: La La Land
Totally fine with any outcome here, although Gibson (for Hacksaw Ridge) seems wildly outclassed.
Costume Design
Pick: Jackie
Prediction: La La Land
Cinematography
Pick: Arrival
Prediction: La La Land
All of the nominees look fantastic. I think Moonlight could win this too, but when it's close, the safe pick is La La Land.
Animated Feature Film
Pick: Kubo and the Two Strings
Prediction: Zootopia
Both are tremendous. Moana is great, but not in the same league. Haven't seen the other two yet, unfortunately.
Supporting Actress
Pick: Naomie Harris (Moonlight)
Prediction: Viola Davis (Fences)
Davis definitely acted her heart out and deserves recognition, but Moonlight was just superbly acted by everyone involved.
Supporting Actor
Pick: Mahershala Ali (Moonlight)
Prediction: Mahershala Ali (Moonlight)
Best Actress
Pick: AMY ADAMS (Arrival)
Prediction: Emma Stone (La La Land)
I can't believe Adams wasn't nominated. What a travesty. Of the nominees, Isabelle Huppert should win for Elle, but I imagine this is Stone, or maybe Streep if they really want a speech from her.
Best Actor
Pick: Viggo Mortensen (Captain Fantastic)
Prediction: Casey Affleck (Manchester By The Sea)
Gosling's performance was a weak part of La La Land, so I'm hoping this goes elsewhere. Affleck's performance was fantastic, but Captain Fantastic needs more love.
Best Picture
Pick: Moonlight
Prediction: La La Land
I think La La Land is probably the fourth or fifth best film, but the subject matter is going to push it up the list among academy voters. It's an okay winner, though. I have Moonlight, Manchester, and Arrival above it. The next tier contains Lion and Hell or High Water, with Hacksaw, Fences, and Figures pretty outclassed. Should be noted, though, that I liked all of these films very much, except for Hacksaw. This was a great group of nominees.
The Lego Batman Movie
While not as charming or clever as the first Lego film, this was a very entertaining movie with lots of great Batman references and fun callbacks to older films.
8.25/10
8.25/10
Bad Santa 2
For a hard-R comedy, this film didn't really earn that rating or genre classification. I don't think I laughed at a single thing. They sure did say the f-word a lot, though.
3.5/10
3.5/10
Cameraperson
This documentary was advertised as a collection of footage shot while the filmmaker was working on several other films. And, yeah, that's what it was. I expected some sort of narrative through-line to tie things together, but if it was there, I didn't see it. Ultimately, this left the film feeling disjointed and without purpose, albeit a nice, eclectic collection of footage.
6/10
6/10
John Wick: Chapter 2
The unique features of John Wick such as the fantastic world-building and incredible action sequences have been expanded upon, and this film delivered everything I wanted from a sequel to one of my favorite films of 2014.
10/10
10/10
Upstream Color
A complicated narrative that refuses to hold your hand, but will nonetheless completely engross you. Some of the scenes were difficult to watch, but the performances and gorgeous combination of cinematography and score made this into a wonderful experience.
8/10
8/10
Fences
Two monster performances comprise the entirety of this film. It was engrossing and well shot, but the film would be far weaker without the acting prowess of Washington and Davis.
8.5/10
8.5/10
Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk
It was clear that this film wanted to be more impactful, but most of the 'heavy' moments failed to land for me. The lead performance was fairly solid, and the film looked wonderful, but it left me wanting.
6.75/10
6.75/10
Hail, Caesar!
Nothing has changed since the last time I watched this, almost exactly a year ago. It's another hilarious, finely-crafted Coen Brothers film that is a delight to watch.
9/10
9/10
Author: The JT LeRoy Story
A truly bizarre and tragic story that gets crazier and crazier as the documentary progresses.
8/10
8/10
Allied
I found every aspect of this film to be mediocre, with no element standing out from any other.
5/10
5/10
The Love Witch
While a visually stunning throwback to classic cult films, this movie did very little for me. I think I might just lack appreciation for the style, maybe?
4/10
4/10
Velvet Goldmine
I enjoyed the artistic style and music this film offers, but found the plot a bit lacking. Ewan McGregor's performance was wonderful, but a lot of the other acting was a bit over-the-top.
6/10
6/10
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