A Movie Anyone?

I have to admit I’m a bit of a movie snob.
I love watching the Academy Awards presentations and I try to make a point of watching as many nominated films I can before the winners are announced.

2018 Oscar nominations were announced this morning & I’ve wstched 5 out of 9 of the Best Picture nominees so far:  The Shape Of Water, Get Out, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri, Lady Bird and Call Me By Your Name.  Of the four I didn’t watch, The Post, Dunkirk, Phantom Thread and Darkest Hour, Dunkirk is the only one I have no intention in watching - I have never been a fan of war films.  I have never been disappointed in any Tom Hanks or Daniel Day Lewis film so I’ll definitely try to watch The Post & Phantom Thread.  Seeing that Gary Oldman is the front runner for Best Actor (by virtue of winning both the Golden Globe & SAG) I will also try to watch Darkest Hour.

Of the 5 films I did watch my two favourite are Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri & Get Out  - which co-incidentally both have nominations for Best Director, Best Screenplay, as well as a handful of acting nods.   If I were to bet, I’d put my money on Three Billboards Outside Ebbbng Missouri to take home the big prize.  And it’s not just because it’s taken away Best Picture in almost all major awards up until now but because it truly is an entertaining film on multiple fronts.

I also enjoyed Lady Bird, particularly the acting of Saoirse Ronan & Laurie Metcalf.  A story that even if you don’t share the same experiences, demographics, or cultural background, you will recognize the feeling of trying to find yourself and your purpose in life as a young adult, or the feeling of of hopes, dreams, disappointments, and love you have as a mother.

I found The Shape Of Water very fairy-tale like.  A modern day Beauty & The Beast if you will.  There were gruesome parts in the movie as well as deeply loving ones as well.  I was drawn to the movie to see how it could work to have a human fall in love with a “monster” and in the fairy-tale sense it did work.

Call Me By Your Name was my least favourite one I watched.  Putting aside the picturesque scenery, the premise of a young persons first true love, and the amazing performance of Timothée Chalamet, I just couldn’t get past the unease of a 17 year old and a late 20-something year old’s summer affair right in home of the teenager’s parents.  I wonder how well received the movie would be if the older lover was a woman or if the teen had been a female instead of a male.

Now I think I’ll go watch The Post.

Y.C.