Again this year nine films have been nominated for the top award of Best Picture, always creating good talking points around film as people can often never understand why some were nominated and then go onto win. I think this year is actually pretty strong and a decent range, but I will get more into each individual film.
Let's have one last look at each of the films that have been nominated . . .
Call Me By Your Name (Review)This was the final film out of the nine that I managed to catch at the cinema and probably had the biggest build up surrounding it. I think this was due to the subject matter and some controversy with the film. As you can read in my review I was rather disappointed with the film as a whole and seemed to have missed the hype and amazing love others get from this one. So the fact that I failed to see the spark in this one you can bet it has an amazing chance of winning!
This is probably the weakest film out of the nine in terms of substance really as it is all about Gary Oldman as Churchill and the rest of the film isn't really that great, the story at times lacks any real conviction that you would expect. I was actually surprised to see it get a Best Picture Nom, even though the film did make me feel very proud to be British!
A second film about the same time period as the Darkest Hour but this was fully focused on Dunkirk and everything that happened to save the men stranded on the beach. An interesting approach of land, sea and air with the time scale. Visually it was stunning in IMAX and some extremely powerful scenes, with a summer release it feels like a very long time since I actually watched this one!
Moving onto the earliest release in this years nominees, Get Out was released in March which we all know is usually the worst time of year for films at the cinema. This one though managed to shock and surprise everyone and is still managing to do that to this day. Such a thought-provoking plot, jumpy moments it really does pull you into its strange plot. With some fantastic performances.
I enjoyed the majority of this film about a teenagers coming of age, first loves and getting into college. With a hostile relationship with her mother which created for some fantastic performances which more than deserved the individual Oscar nominations. My only issue with this was the final act which I just didn't enjoy as much as the previous parts of the film, it just didn't really seem to fit in with the rest of it, still really good overall though.
I found myself heading to watch this one a little bit nervous as I had seen very mixed things from people who had already seen it, mainly that it was boring. I did not find that to be the case and throughly enjoyed the journey about a designer who had to have everything perfect along with a rather complicated romance. It was so much better than I expected it to be and can fully understand its nomination.
This film is probably the biggest Oscar bait film in the list Spielberg, Hanks and Streep altogether for the first time was always going to be thought about for nominations. The fact that it was then based on US history and a newspaper made it a perfect awards season film. The performances are very strong and the event is done in an exciting way, taking on what Spotlight and All The Presidents Men have done in the past, it makes reporting and newspapers look very exciting. Despite the early buzz and Oscar-winning talk after its release it seemed to run out of that, to become a big outsider.
Now this is my favourite out of the nine films that have been nominated. I totally fell in love with everything about it and felt emotional moved by it from start to finish. The fantastic performances and haunting story of loneliness, friendship and finding love. Different ways that people are lonely is looked at and I think that is certainly something everyone can relate to at some point in their life. I really do hope that this one can walk about with the Best Picture Oscar! It isn't for everyone but it is visual stunning at times and the performances from Hawkins, Jenkins, Spencer and Shannon are outstanding.
Nothing can stop the Three Billboards on the awards circuit this year as it has picked up so much buzz and so many awards along the way. If it doesn't win at this stage I think it will be a big shock as it really has won so many. The thing is I thought McDormand was outstanding but I didn't really feel that way about the film. Parts of it were enjoyable but I don't really get the full on hype to be brutally honest. I think the huge hype around this will leave a lot of people disappointed. A clear winner though?
What I want to win: The Shape of Water
What I think will win: Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
What is your choice?
