Oscar Rankings and Predictions

Sunday is the most wonderful day of the year - Oscar night! I have ranked everything I've seen (admittedly, not much this year). Also, here are my predictions on what will win, what should win and what was snubbed.

Best Film
01. Call Me By Your Name
02. Lady Bird
03. The Shape of Water
04. Dunkirk
05. Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
06. Get Out
N/A The Darkest Hour
N/A Phantom Thread
N/A The Post
What WILL win - This year seems wide open and it looks like it could go any number of ways. While part of me thinks (and hopes!) Dunkirk is going to come in and surprise everyone with a last minute come from behind win, the momentum is squarely behind The Shape of Water and THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING, MISSOURI, which I think will come out victorious.
What SHOULD win - Call Me By Your Name was a sexy, romantic epic that was lush and beautiful and heartbreaking and should win everything.
What was SNUBBED - A Ghost Story, which is still on my mind months after watching it.

Best Director
01. Christopher Nolan for Dunkirk
02. Guillermo Del Toro for The Shape of Water
03. Greta Gerwig for Lady Bird
04. Jordan Peele for Get Out
N/A Paul Thomas Anderson for Phantom Thread
What WILL Win - Again, I'm hoping for an out of nowhere win for Christopher Nolan, but I think this year is all about GUILLERMO DEL TORO.
Who SHOULD win - Nolan.
Who was SNUBBED - Luca Guadagnino, who is the master of sensuality, and proved it with Call Me By Your Name.

Best Actor
01. Timothee Chalamet in Call Me By Your Name
02. Denzel Washington in Roman J. Israel, Esq.
03. Daniel Kaluuya in Get Out
N/A Daniel Day-Lewis in Phantom Thread
N/A Gary Oldman in The Darkest Hour
Who WILL Win - GARY OLDMAN has had this wrapped up for months.
Who SHOULD Win - Oldman is my very favorite actor and I think he should have 5 Oscars by now. He more than deserves this. But, Chalamet is mesmerizing in Call Me By Your Name. He should win every award in the world.
Who was SNUBBED - Just like almost every other year, Jake Gyllenhaal for Stronger.

Best Actress
01. Frances McDormand in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
02. Saiorse Ronan in Lady Bird
03. Sally Hawkins in The Shape of Water
N/A Margot Robbie in I, Tonya
N/A Meryl Streep in The Post
Who WILL win - Just like her male counterpart, FRANCES MCDORMAND has had this wrapped up for months.
Who SHOULD win - I didn't care for Three Billboards, but there is no denying McDormand is a live wire in it. Although I loved Ronan equally, so I wouldn't complain if she won.
Who was SNUBBED - I guess not enough people saw Lady MacBeth because Florence Pugh was better than every single actor nominated.

Best Supporting Actor
01. Richard Jenkins in The Shape of Water
02. Woody Harrelson in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
03. Sam Rockwell in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
N/A Willem Dafoe in The Florida Project
N/A Christopher Plummer in All the Money in the World
Who WILL Win - This has got SAM ROCKWELL's name all over it.
Who SHOULD Win - I love Rockwell and think he deserves to win an Oscar for a number of different performances... but not this one. I can't remember the last time I was so delighted by a performance as I was with Richard Jenkins.
Who was SNUBBED - Michael Stuhlbarg, who gave such a powerful closing speech in Call Me By Your Name, I can't believe he hasn't been recognized at all this year.

Best Supporting Actress
01. Laurie Metcalf in Lady Bird
02. Octavia Spencer in The Shape of Water
N/A Mary J. Blige in Mudbound
N/A Alison Janney in I, Tonya
N/A Lesley Manville in Phantom Thread
Who WILL win - There was a time some months ago, I thought the females of Lady Bird would be sweeping the Oscars, but that seems like such a distant thought now. Looks like this is all ALISON JANNEY.
Who SHOULD win - Laurie Metcalf forever.
Who was SNUBBED - Since they are giving out nominations to tons of put upon moms this year, where is Holly Hunter for The Big Sick??

Friday Top Five: Superhero Movies

Subtitled: I Love Batman!

So I have decided to start a series called Friday Top Five, which is pretty self explanatory. (Nearly) Every Friday, I will present my definitive top five list about whatever topic I want. This week, in honor of Man of Steel, I will count down my Top Five Superhero Movies. So, without further ado:

5. Sky High (Mike Mitchell, 2005)
I know, I know. Sky High is a movie I accidentally saw in theaters and genuinely loved. Sure, it's a Disney movie. But it's also really good, has a great story, a lot of heart, and cameos from the likes of Wonder Woman herself, Lynda Carter. The movie follows Micheal Angarano as Will Stronghold, the son of superheroes Kurt Russell and Kelly Preston. The problem? He doesn't have any powers. So, he struggles to fit in when he starts superhero high school (as if high school isn't hard enough!). However, he does form a bond with a few other misfits (Danielle Panabaker as the girl who can control plant life??) and eventually these misfits have to fight it out with the villains in the epic showdown. Sky High is definitely everything you want in a superhero movie and then some. In fact, just writing about it makes me want to go watch it again!

4. Batman Begins (Christopher Nolan, 2005)
It seems 2005 was quite a year for superheroes. The same year Sky High was released, Nolan re-introduced the world to Bruce Wayne. Before 2005's comeback, Batman had sort of become a joke thanks to that awful Batman and Robin movie. But Nolan brought us back to the beginning and he made Gotham and Bruce Wayne more dangerous and darker. We found out that Bruce (Christian Bale) learned everything he knew from a mysterious figure named Ducard (Liam Neeson) and after disappearing from Gotham for years, he returned to kick ass and take names. Those getting their asses kicked included Cillian Murphey's Scarecrow and, of course, Neeson. Throw in Gary Oldman as Jim Gordon, Michael Caine as Alfred and Morgan Freeman as Lucius Fox, and you've got the beginning of a very special trilogy.

3. Spider-Man 2 (Sam Raimi, 2004)
When talking about sequels, there is one of two ways it can go: 1. It can suck and be awful and be bogged down by way too much - too many villains, too many sidekicks, etc. 2. Or it can rise above the original because you, the story teller, are no longer bogged down with origin stories and introductions. Spider-Man 2 falls into the latter category. The first Spider-Man was great fun, and featured that awesome kiss, but Spider-Man 2 is Raimi's crowning achievement. It features Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire) ready to give it all up. He devoted his life to fighting crime and, instead, he's painted as a villain, the girl he loves (Kirsten Dunst) is engaged to someone else and he's just fed up. But then Alfred Molina shows up as a crazy scientist, and when an experiment goes wrong, as experiments often do, he is transformed into an angry villain named Doc Ock. Peter Parker may be the most sympathetic superhero. We all relate to him because before he got bit by a spider (!!), he was a regular dude, just like us.

2. Batman (Tim Burton, 1989)
One of my very first memories is going to see the original Batman in movie theaters. I will not say how old I was, but I remember going to see it with my older brother and his friend. I remember being completely enthralled by what was before me and that was probably the beginning of my life long love affair with movies, and also with Batman. To this day, I still think Michael Keaton is the best overall Bruce Wayne / Batman. George Clooney was good as Wayne and Kilmer was good as Batman. Bale is up there, but his Batman voice is still sort of infuriating. But it's Keaton who does both charming womanizer Wayne and heroic Batman so, so well. This was also my introduction to Jack Nicholson as Joker. He quickly became one of my favorite actors and his Joker is still such a vibrant part of my memory.

1. The Dark Knight (Christopher Nolan, 2008)
Speaking of Joker... What Nicholson did in the 80s is a completely different animal than what Heath Ledger did with the same character in this film. Ledger was a feral animal, terrifying and unhinged. He was out of control, anarchy in human form, but still somehow likable. I always like to say that every superhero movie is only as good as its villain and that's perhaps why The Dark Knight is the best of the best. This is Nolan's crowning achievment as a film maker and I doubt he will ever surpass it. The Dark Knight is damn near perfect, pushing its hero to the brink, devastating him with a second act murder that we all felt at our core. Joker is a villain like we had never before seen. And guess what? If it wasn't for Heath Ledger and how amazing he was in this role, we would all talk a lot more about Aaron Eckhart's perfect portrayal of Harvey Dent and his descent from role model politician to angry, rageful Two Face. This movie genuinely has it all - great acting, quoteable lines, unforgettable imagery (just try to get that vision of Joker in the nurse's outfit, or sticking his head out the window like a dog), great action sequences and a perfect ending. I will truly be shocked if we get a better superhero movie in my lifetime.

How will Man of Steel rate? Check back Monday and find out!

Lawless

A few days ago, I was watching Deliverance. I know what you're thinking - what on Earth does Deliverance have to do with Lawless? And the answer is - not much. But I was wondering why they haven't remade Deliverance yet. I mean, believe me, I think it's a terrible idea, but they have remade just about everything else so it truly surprises me that they haven't done this yet. Then it struck me that there are very few actors these days who are really MEN. And I mean, MEN. Actors these days aren't like Burt Reynolds and Jon Voight. They may be able to act like men, but they aren't really MEN. Then I watched Lawless on Saturday and was remiss at leaving out Tom Hardy. Hardy is most definitely a MAN. When he beats the crap out of a guy in this movie, I have absolutely no doubt that he can do that in real life.

And so Lawless is the true story of the lives of the Bondurant brothers, a group of bootleggers in 1930s Virginia. There is Forrest (Hardy) and Howard (Jason Clarke), the older brothers who are both so bad ass that you wouldn't want to meet them in a dark alley. Then there is little brother Jack (Shia LaBeouf), who so badly wants to fit in with his brothers but is more sweet and sensitive than brooding and brawling. Their lives are perfectly fine, supplying moonshine to cops and neighbors and even a gangster (Gary Oldman), until a new deputy comes to town (best in show Guy Pearce) who decides to make their lives a living hell. Throw in Jessica Chastain as waitress / dancer Maggie, who catches Forrest's eye and Mia Wasikowska as preacher's daughter Bertha, who Jack tries to woo, and you've got your movie.

But I should mention Dane DeHaan, who plays Jack's crippled bestie Cricket. DeHaan also blew me away in Chronicle earlier this year and he kills it again in this movie. He surely has to be the most exciting new actor I've seen in years. And that has very little to do with his uncanny resemblance to a young Leonardo DiCaprio. I mean, he looks so much like DiCaprio in What's Eating Gilbert Grape? that I am 65% sure they actually digitally lifted Leo from that movie and superimposed him into this one. DeHaan is definitely One to Watch.

The rest of this cast is stellar as well. With the exception of The Dark Knight Rises, this is probably the best cast of actors assembled in a movie this year. This is the absolute finest work LaBeouf has done. He's always been a fine actor but has been weighted down by making bad movies. Here he truly shows how good he is at giving a layered performance and making a character likable. He has tremendous charisma which is a start. However, no one can upstage Hardy and Pearce here. Hardy is the most intense actor working today. He is completely intoxicating to watch in everything, and especially in this, which might be his finest performance since Bronson. But Pearce is the star of this show. His Deputy Rakes is a sociopathic lunatic, some kind of coiled up snake who is always ready to strike. And it's a joy to watch.

Lawless is a good movie, but unfortunately, I think it thinks it is a lot better than it actually is. Lawless, directed by John Hillcoat, is trying to be some great American masterpiece. It wants to be The Godfather, an epic truly American movie about a family that does bad things to protect each other. Lawless is not The Godfather. It has too many faults. To begin with, it completely wastes Gary Oldman in a thankless role. The roles of the women are terribly one dimensional and trite (Chastain tries her best to make her mark here and she succeeds to a point. I mean, a lesser actress who have been utterly forgettable in this movie). The pace is almost glacial, except during the extreme scenes of violence. That is truly when Lawless shines, when it finds it's niche as this character driven Western with swagger. Lawless fails at trying to be the instant classic movie it wants to be. But that's not to say it isn't a damn good movie with one hell of a cast.

Grade: B

Red Riding Hood

My major problem with any negative reaction to this film by the audience is the following: "Well, it's just like Twilight." No, actually it isn't and if you are going to use that as your argument, then it's an invalid argument with me. Why is it just like Twilight? Because of the sweeping nature-focued cinematography? That's because it was directed by the same person who directed Twilight (Catherine Hardwicke) and she was doing that way before Twilight. So, if anything, Twilight is the way it is because she directed it, not the other way around. Is it because there is a love triangle, or a teenage centric story? Well, guess what? Teenagers spend money, so of course people are going to make movies aimed at them. And the love triangle is as old as movies themselves. Is it because it's about werewolves? So was Teen Wolf but no one is saying that's "like Twilight."
No, if you have a problem with Red Riding Hood, make sure you use a viable argument such as, the hokey dialogue, the unbelievable chemistry, or the lack of any real love triangle in a love triangle plot. There are problems with Red Riding Hood, for sure, but the least of them is appearing too much like Twilight. However, as far as guilty pleasure movies go, Red Riding Hood isn't so bad, especially when you approach it in two ways: 1) It's not going to be the best movie of 2011, okay? So, just have fun. 2) Think of it as a murder mystery / whodunit.
Red Riding Hood is a reimagining of the classic fairy tale but the "Little" part is dropped because our protagonist (Amanda Seyfried as Valerie) is all grown up. The story takes place long ago and far away in a little village where a werewolf is terrorizing the people on every full moon. However, the beast left them in peace for ten years. Now he's back on a blood moon, which means one bite from the werewolf will turn the victim into a wolf as well. Our lovely blonde, big eyed Valerie is caught in a love triangle... or at least, that's what the movie wants you to think. She's in love with Peter (Shiloh Fernandez), an orphaned wood cutter who is a little bit of a bad boy, but is being forced to marry Henry (Max Irons) who she doesn't care about at all. No offense to the screenwriter but a love triangle only exists if there is a push-and-pull between two different lovers. Valerie wants nothing to do with Henry and that doesn't lead to a whole lot of drama. Sure, she loves Peter but you could at least play around with the possibility of her falling for a nice guy like Henry. Not to mention, there is absolutely no chemistry between Seyfried and either of her handsome leading men.
Although the younger cast members have no chemistry, the cast is not something anyone can complain about really. It's quite impressive. Seyfried is perfectly cast as the damsel in distress. Fernandez and Irons are both good enough, and easy on the eyes, which certainly helps make up for any talent they may or may not lack. Virginia Madsen and Billy Burke play Valerie's worrisome parents and Julie Christie gives the whole movie a bit of class by playing the iconic grandmother. Lukas Haas is the town priest who is in so over his head that he calls in a legendary werewolf fighting preist - Father Solomon, who is played with particular zest and haminess by Gary Oldman. Look, at least he's having fun! Oldman struts into this movie with all kinds of swag. He's funny and a little bad ass, and a little crazy but it totally works and he definitely is the best actor in this movie (or at least, he gets the juiciest role). He's aware of what this movie is - not some kind of self-serious movie that will a ton of awards. But, at the very least, it's a fun ride and a decent way to spend two hours on a cold and dreary winter's afternoon.
Grade: C-