Another year, another Academy Awards. This year, apart from
the snub of Silence, is not as
controversial as many before it, in fact I would go to say that this is one of
the strongest years of the Oscars yet, I would happily give the Best Picture
award to most of the nominees. Why can’t we have these kinds of films spread
out across the year, I spent most of 2016 thinking it was a bit rubbish for
films, how wrong was I! Now I’ve already spoken about a few of the nominees in
previous posts, so I’m allowing this edition of Quick Reviews to be focused on
the one’s I haven’t spoken about yet. So read on and find out what I thought
about some of this year’s Oscar nominees.
La La Land
The film industry’s darling and the favourite for nearly
everything at this year’s Oscars, and do you know what, it’s actually quite
good. It’s mix of exciting drama and musical numbers really helps elevate it as
something quite special with the performances of its stars, especially Emma
Stone, being the cherry on top. Personally not my favourite film on the list of
nominees but a great film none the less and one that I would not be upset about
if it does end up winning best picture.
4.5/5
Moonlight
Incredibly well shot and beautifully acted, Moonlight brings us a story not like one
we’ve seen before, but one we can all relate to in one way or another. It’s
great to see these kind of stories on the big screen, characters that haven’t
been represented enough before. It’s easy to see that director Barry Jenkins
has poured his heart out into this script but has weaved it together into a
poetic and moving piece of cinema. For me it lacked that final bit of something
to make this stand out among the rest, it slowed down too much for me near the
end and it left me wanting something more to go home with. Maybe that was the
point…
4/5
Manchester by The Sea
This film will make you laugh and it will make you cry,
almost in equal amounts, it’s an emotional roller-coaster of a ride. It’s a
story so well told and structured in a way that keeps you engaged at all times,
a true character piece and one that reveals layers upon layers of depth all the
way until the end. If this one doesn’t win Best Original Screenplay I will be
very surprised. A really beautiful and human film.
5/5
Loving
This is an incredible true story but the film’s slow pace
failed to get me more invested in the characters rather than just on a surface
level. I loved some of the story choices made, such as choosing to focus on the
relationship rather that what it meant on a bigger scale for social injustice,
though this is still of course embedded throughout. It had great potential but
it unfortunately failed to grip me like.
3/5
Jackie
This film was absolutely stunning and truly uses the full
scope of the medium to tell a small and incredibly important snapshot from the
life of Jackie Kennedy. The film is almost dreamlike, it cuts around from at
least three different timelines, held together by a beautiful and haunting
score that creates a sense of dysphoria, much like the mind state of Jackie
herself, a woman who is simply trying to process an horrific experience which
nobody around her wants to talk about. She’s lonely, isolated, lost in the
world and every aspect of the film reflects this.
5/5
Arrival
One of the most gripping Sci-Fi’s I have seen in a long
time. This film is one of the most beautiful looking, amazing sounding and
really thought provoking films to have come around recently. I’m not even sure
I blinked when I saw it, I just wanted to soak it all in and understand it.
It’s not a cold film either, it hits you emotionally and this is very much
helped by the performances from its great cast. I’m sure it won’t be for
everyone but I personally couldn’t find anything wrong with it.
5/5
Hacksaw Ridge
The first half of this film does not deserve an Oscar as
much as the second maybe does. It’s quite corny and not very subtle in its
approach when it comes to the drama. The war scenes however, are as viscerally
amazing as they are brutal, they are very well done and truly pack a punch.
It’s a solid war film that’s heart-warming but also a bit heavy handed at
times. At least it earned Andrew Garfield the nomination that he definitely
deserved for Silence instead… (he’s
still very good in this though!)
3.5/5
Moana
I loved how colourful this film was, some of the visuals
were absolutely gorgeous. The music is really powerful and I loved how it was
used thematically and not just for the big set pieces (though ‘How Far I’ll Go’
is on repeat right now…). A great story for both adults and children, a
brilliant and well-rounded family film. Just as good as Disney Animation’s
previous film Zootopia, are they
becoming the new Pixar?
4.5/5
Hell or High Water
This film is one that’s smart with its simple approach. It’s
deeply layered in a way that never makes you root for one side of the
characters over the others, the cops or the robbers. It’s a solid thriller with
some great performances from all involved, worth a watch but probably not going
to rake in the awards like some of the other films in this post.
4/5
Well there you go, I'm actually a little excited to see how this Oscars goes down, is it La La Land's show or is something going to come out a steal its thunder? Do you care? Let me know in the comments below.
Thanks for reading!
