The 90th Annual Academy Awards - My Predictions

With just a couple of days to go, the excitement is building as we get ready to celebrate all that is great in the Film World, with the arrival of the 90th Annual Academy Awards.

What a year it has been, in some ways good, and in other ways...well...that's another story.
This past year cinematically has been much improved, and I have seen my Cinema attendance increase, surely a sign that things are getting better with the quality of films. There is quite a mixed bag of movies nominated this year. And as usual I am going to concentrate on the main 8 categories:-

Best Original Screenplay
Best Screenplay Based On Material Previously Produced or Published
Best Actor in A Supprting Role
Best Actress in A Supporting Role
Best Actor In a Leading Role
Best Actress In A Leading Role
Best Director
Best Picture

These 8 categories have garnered 44 nominations, and I have managed to see 40 of them, so not bad going.
As ever, my list will be of who I think will win, and who I would ideally like to see win.

Best Original Screenplay

This is easy as my Prediction and choice of Winner are the same. I think that Martin McDonagh will be victorious for his excellent screenplay for....









 Best Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published

Although there are a couple of films which could throw a spanner in the works, my choice and also the Winner I think will be James Ivory for his stunning adaptation of......






Best Actor in A Supporting Role

I think that Sam Rockwell will win for his brilliant portrayal of a racist cop.
I have no problem with Sam winning but I'd equally like to see his co-star Woody Harrelson win for playing the local Sheriff or even Richard Jenkins for his lovely performance in "The Shape of Water"



Best Actress in A Supporting Role

Again this is an easy one to call. Anyone who has ever watched "The West Wing" will marvel at Allison Janney's transformation into the foul mouthed Mum from hell in "I, Tonya" and this is why she will Win the Oscar, and rightly so








Best Actor in A Leading Role

If ever there was a certainty, then it has to be Gary Oldman for his tour de force performance as Winston Churchill in "Darkest Hour"





 

If Mr Oldman had not been nominated then I would like to think that the very excellent Timothee Charlamet would be in with a shout for his stunning performance in "Call Me By Your Name"






Best Actress in A Leading Role

As with all the Acting Awards this year, I think it is safe to say there will be very few surprises. In fact all are pretty much set in stone.
A firm for some time now, Frances McDormand will bag her second Oscar for playing the tough as nails, no nonsense Mom Mildred Hayes in "Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri"




Best Director

Don't get me started on the fact that Martin McDonagh has not been nominated in this category - TRAVESTY
If one was a conspiracist, then one might think he was left out to pave the way for the man who I think will win, and he is Guillermo Del Toro for "The Shape of Water"

I would certainly be delighted to see Christopher Nolan win for his great work on "Dunkirk", although not the best film of the film, but his triumph at what was put on screen deserves recognition




Best Picture

Despite that there has been a recent backlash against "Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri", I still think it will reign supreme at the Academy Awards and win Best Picture.

If there is going to be a repeat of what happened two years ago when "Spotlight" robbed "The Revenant" of a Best Picture Oscar, then the film that will steal "Three Billboards" thunder will be "The Shape of Water"

In an ideal world, I would love to see "Call Me By Your Name" win Best Picture. From start to finish it was a delight to watch. A wonderful screenplay from James Ivory, great performances ebut especially from Timothee Charlamet and Armie Hammer, and stunning cinematography




So there you have it. Just to recap, the nominees I think will win are:-

Best Original Screenplay - Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri
Best Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published - Call Me By Your Name
Best Actor in A Supporting Role - Sam Rockwell
Best Actress in A Supporting Role - Allison Janney
Best Actor in A Leading Role - Gary Oldman
Best Actress in A Leading Role - Frances McDormand
Best Director - Guillermo Del Toro
Best Picture - Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri

And to just sidestep for a monent, if there is any justice then the Best Cinematography Oscar will go to Roger Deakins for his work on "Blade Runner 2049" not only as it was stunning but also for the fact that he is one of the very best in his field, and he is long overdue for Oscar recognition.

And good luck to Host Jimmy Kimmel, who did a first class job last year, and I for one am delighted to see him back.

Let's hope whoever presents Best Picture, will have the nerve to shout out if something is wrong !!! Lord preserve us should they give the Award to the wrong film.....

Oscar Nominations 2018 - My Thoughts

A little later this year but here are my thoughts on the nominations for the 90th Annual Academy Awards...

BEST PICTURE
Just because the Academy has increased the quote to a maximum of ten movies, does not mean that we have to have a full list, or as in this year, nine.
For me there are a number of films which should not have made the shortlist, and a few omissions, as always.
I have seen all nine of this years nominees, so am well voiced to be critical. For me I would have left out "Phantom Thread", "Lady Bird", at a push "The Shape of Water". All really good films, but one questions whether worthy of a Best Picture nomination.

I must add, that I feel "Get Out" is woefully overrated. Again like the others, it is a good film, cleverly written, but it DOES NOT deserve a Best Picture nomination, or quite a few of its other nominations.
And although there is a lot of love for Aaron Sorkin's "Molly's Game", for me the far superior Jessica Chastain film is "Miss. Sloane", which for me is one of the years best....and not a single nomination.

The only one good thing that having so many nominees in this category does is split the vote mnore, and can lead to an upset, which as a viewer is always exciting....though as with "Spotlight" not always a good choice.

BEST DIRECTOR
I never understand this one. Of late there are more times when the Best Director & Best Picture Oscars go to different films. I know that logic should not factor into the Oscars, silly me for thinking it would, but surely what is voted Best film, then the Director responsible should be rewarded accordingly. However I will also say that this year there would be a fair argument for Christopher Nolan winning Director for his work on "Dunkirk" yet, like many others, feel it is not the best Film. But given how brilliant say "Three Billboards..." is, it is surely a crime that Director Martin McDonagh has not even been nominated. With nine Best Picture nominees, and only five for Director, yes someone is going to lose out. But surely not the Director for the favourite to win Best Picture?
Even if Martin McDonagh had been nominated, I'm sure that Guillermo Del Toro would have won anyway, but that's not the point. There are at least 3 Directors who should not have made the shortlist...Paul Thomas Anderson, Greta Gerwig, and Jordan Peele. Where are the nominees for Joe Wright & Luca Guadagnino?

BEST ACTOR & BEST ACTRESS
Overall I would say that these categories are pretty good. There is the odd exception, and I would have expected a nod to Dame Judi Dench for her stunning work in "Victoria & Abdul" but other than that, its as expected.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR & BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Again as above, these two categories are pretty much as expected. The only thing I have wondered is whether Kevin Spacey would have gotten a nod for his portrayal of John Paul Getty had it not been for the scandal that saw him replaced by Christopher Plummer?


OVERALL
I think this year it is all about ticking boxes, and it SHOULD be about the films, performances and craft technicians who really deserve the recognition.

2017 - "This Year In Film"

Another Cinematic year has come and gone. And how has 2017 faired?

Well  I have to say that I think it has been an excellent year for cinema. I think I can illustrate this no better way than by saying for the first time in 7 years I have been to the Cinema over 100 times in a full year.
That certainly means that a lot of trailers have caught my eye, and gotten me into more screenings this year, but that does not necessarily mean that the quality of the film as a whole has been better.

We will start on a high and look at some of the many films that have really entertained me this year.

Scorsese....Lian Neeson....Andrew Garfield....Adam Driver....A compelling story and stunning photography. 

 A wonderful and welcome return of some richly created characters, brilliantly acted

Mel Gibson shines behind the Camera with a stunning performance from one of this years brightest stars - Andrew Garfield

A great film telling an astonishing story of a group of extraordinary women

(what more do I need to say?)

Denzel & Viola....enough said

Like "Hacksaw Ridge", the year got off to a remarkable start with another powerful true story. January was going to be the month to beat





Here are some more of the amazing movies that have been just a pure delight to watch over the last 12 months

Quite a diverse selection.
A year of great love stories, with Annette Bening on top form as Gloria Grahame, Dame Judi Dench reprising her Oscar nominated role as Queen Victoria, Ashton Saunders excels in "Moonlight", Dev Patel shows the love for his Mother in "Lion" and Armie Hammer and Timothee Chalamet are on Award winning form in "Call Me By Your Name".

As discussed above, the use of true life shines brightest this year, with as mentioned "Lion", "Hacksaw Ridge" & "Hidden Figures" all great films in their own right. But it didn't end there. We also had the great McDonalds story as told in "The Founder", a look at the end of the British reign in India in "Viceroy's House", and India coming to Victorian England and a great friendship between two very different people in "Victoria & Abdul".
Great heroism in "Patriot's Day", and heroics of a different kind as Emma Stone is at the top of her game as Billie Jean King in "Battle of the Sexes".

Having not been a huge fan of the first two 'Thor' films, it was pleasing to see the third film really bring some fun back, and this ranks as one of the most entertaining films of the year.
A long overdue return to form for Writer / Director M.Night Shyamalan with his brilliant thriller "Split", chilling performance from James McAvoy, and what an ending......

But as with all things, there is an opposite, as so there has to be a selection of less pleasing films, and here they are.....I know that there is at least one controversial choice.


Some of the Worst Films of 2017.....

"Manchester By The Sea"....too depressing, and in my opinion Casey Affleck was not the Best Actor, far from it. He should not have even been nominated for an Oscar, let alone have won it.
Several much loved films did not fair to well for me...films like "It Comes At Night" and "Baby Driver".
One of the biggest disappointments of the year was the gritty thriller "The Snowman", which promised so much....it was directed by Tomas Alfredson who directed one of my all time favourite movies - "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy", it had an excellent cast, the likes of Michael Fassbender, Toby Jones, J.K. Simmons, Rebecca Ferguson, Charlotte Gainsbourg and Val Kilmer, and from the trailer looked really good.
Oh dear......oh well, you can't always judge a book by its cover, or in this case, a film from its trailer.

But down to the most important choices, and my favourites of 2017....here we go.....

Although I am awarding Best individual performances, there is one actor I need to single out for being the most prolific and consistently wowing us with one great performance after another, and he is.......

 

Andrew Garfield

Preaching the word of God, in a land where Christianity is outlawed he was dazzling in Martin Scorsese's "Silence"

A great actor playing a truly great hero, Desmond Doss in the powerful and moving drama from Mel Gibson "Hacksaw Ridge"

Another true life story and the life of Robin Cavendish and the many lives he changed in "Breathe"

And although this was a theatrical performance I did get to see it thanks to a National Theatre Live Screening, and this will be the performance that people will be talking about for years, and rest assured come Award season, he will need a well enforced shelf to store all his awards from his performance in "Angels in America"




Here come the big three.....

Best Performance By An Actor in A Leading Role
  
A few quick special mentions, especially to the already mentioned James McAvoy in "Split", the amazing Ewan Bremner, who for me stole the show with his amazing performance in "T2 Trainspotting", Denzel Washington in "Fences", Ali Fazal in "Victoria & Abdul" and Jamie Bell in "Film Stars Don't Die in Liverpool".  Great work from each and every one of them. But there can be only one winner......

 Timothee Charlamet 

He gave a mature and heart breakingly beautiful performance in the love story of the year in "Call Me By Your Name". The scene that everyone talks about is probably one that many may miss as it plays out during the end credits, but from start to finish he conveys the angst of a young man and his journey into love which may or may not be reciprocated


Best Performance By An Actress in A Leading Role

Yes there is still much to be said about Women and the lack of great material, and even more so on equal pay, but if this year is anything to go by then Women are creating some truly outstanding performances.
Natalie Portman was the highpoint of "Jackie", and Emma Stone was good in "La La Land", but Oscar worthy, not for me. 
All three leads of "Hidden Figures" were exemplary. As was Danielle Macdonald in "Patti Cake$". And a firm favourite of mine continues to give a beautiful performance in "Film Stars Don't Die In Liverpool" and she is Annette Bening.

But there can be only one Winner.....or can there???

 

Jessica Chastain     

It's clearly a case of red heads rule. Jessica Chastain has shown her brilliance in great films like "The Help" and "Zero Dark Thirty" but this year it was her performance in "Miss. Sloane" that blew me away. 

Emma Stone

She may have started the year with an Academy Award for her work on "La La Land", and the debate as whether it was deserved will continue, but for me she should be getting an Oscar this year for her work as Billie Jean King in "Battle of the Sexes". 

Best Picture

I have really wrestled over this one. And for me it is bizarre in that there are films that featured in last years Oscars Ceremony and films that will no doubt feature in this years Ceremony. There in lies the problem of having Oscar movies released in the UK between November and March of any given year. 

I would normally always try and have just One Best Picture Winner, and worst case scenario I would have to allow for two or if really pushed then three would be my absolute maximum.

But this year I am torn between four top movies, and given that I cannot choose between them, I am going to have to declare a four way tie. So which are the four top films of 2017?

 

 "Moonlight"

 

"Battle of the Sexes"

 "Miss.  Sloane"

 

"Call Me By Your Name"

I mentioned at the beginning about what a strong year that 2017 has been, and I think that I can give no other better example of this than by the result for Best Picture. To have a four way tie is just plain bonkers but I cannot pick between these four first class films, and I will be proud to have all of them added to my Film collection when they become available on Blu Ray...yes I already have "Moonlight", and "Miss Sloane".

We can only hope that 2018 will be half as good.....Happy viewing