22nd Feb 201921st Dec 2019 by MatthewJohnson

2019 Oscar Predictions

With the 91st Academy Awards around the corner I thought I’d try my hand at predicting this year’s winners and losers. The Oscars tend to throw up many suprises but I’ve tried to predict what I think will happen on Sunday night. I have not predicted the short films and documentaries as I do not know enough about them to make a comment about them.

Best Adapted Screenplay –

John David Washington and Topher Grace in BlacKkKlansman

Who I Think Will Win – BlacKkKlansman
Who I Think Should Win – If Beale Street Could Talk
BlacKkKlansman is the most likely to take this award as a nod to Spike Lee who will not take home any of the other awards of the night, meaning the Academy will give him this award to make it up for it. However, it should If Beale Street Could Talk that wins, but for some reason the Academy seem to have ignored it entirely.

Best Orignal Screenplay –

Who I Think Will Win – Green Book
Who I Think Should Win – First Reformed
For a while The Favourite was – no pun intended – the favourite to win this award, and backed by a strong award season it should still be the case. However, a recent push for Green Book has left it having a much stronger possibility of taking home some of the big awards of the night. First Reformed, a hugely overlooked film in a majority of categories, should take home the prize, but it will go to Green Book, or the Favourite, most likely the former at this point.

Best Original Score –

Kiki Layne and Stephen James in If Beale Street Could Talk

Who I Think Will Win – If Beale Street Could Talk
Who I Think Should Win – If Beale Street Could Talk
This is the one award I can see If Beale Street Could Talk winning. The score has often been beaten by Justin Hurwitz’s First Man score throughout Awards Season, however, with First Man not being nominated, Nicholas Britell seems certain to win his first Oscar, unless Black Panther swoops in and takes the award with voters having seen that film over If Beale Street Could Talk.

Best Original Song

Who I Think Will Win – Shallow
Who I Think Should Win – All The Stars
If Shallow doesn’t win Best Song it will be one of the biggest shock in years, it’s won every other award possible and is guaranteed for the Oscar, with big support from it even winning a Grammy. Although, I would’ve preferred to see All The Stars win.

Best Animated Feature Film –

Who I Think Will Win – Spiderman: Into the Spider Verse
Who I Think Should Win – Spiderman: Into the Spider Verse
One of the best animated features in recent times, Spiderman had a chance of being nominated for Best Picture, being only the fourth animated feature to do so, but missed out. However, it won’t miss out on this award and is a certainty to take home the prize.

Best Foreign Language Film –

Who I Think Will Win – Roma
Who I Think Should Win – Roma
On first glance this seems like a simple choice, with Roma being nominated for Best Picture, surely it must win. However, should Roma take Best Picture, the Academy voters may decide to reward Cold War as Roma has taken its prize, however, that is unlikely, and Roma will win. This is one of the strongest categories, with Roma, Cold War and Shotplifters all being worthy of Best Picture nominations, with only the former being nominated.

Best Supporting Actress –

Who I Think Will Win – Amy Adams
Who I Think Should Win – Regina King
The supporting actress category has four genuine contenders to take home the prize and could go in any direction. No actress has taken control of award season, with Regina King, Emma Stone, Rachel Weisz and Amy Adams taking home their fair share of prizes throughout award season. However, I can see Amy Adams, possibly the least favourite out of the four frontrunners, taking home the prize, given her many previous nominations without a win. Not only that, but If Beale Street Could Talk has not been very popular with the Academy, with only three nominations, making Regina King’s chances smaller, and Emma Stone and Rachel Weisz both already taking home Oscars previously.

Best Supporting Actor –

Who I Think Will Win – Mahershala Ali
Who I Think Should Win – Mahershala Ali
After winning every award conceivably possible during award season, there is not a single doubt that Mahershala Ali will take home his second Oscar in three years. Richard E. Grant has garnered some support for his role in Can You Ever Forgive Me? but it is not enough to stop Ali winning. This category is a foregone conclusion and almost not worth discussion.

Best Production Design

Who I Think Will Win – Black Panther
Who I Think Should Win – Black Panther
This is the one category that I think Black Panther deserves to win. They are definitely the favourite to win with the film’s ability to create a new world, and it has won an array of awards and is the only one I can see taking home the prize on the night, barring a suprise Bohemian Rhapsody win for its Production value on scenes such as the Live Aid scene.

Best Costume Design

Who I Think Will Win – Black Panther
Who I Think Should Win – The Ballad of Buster Scuggs
Another award that Black Panther will take home, it has been rewarded for its production and costume throughout award season and that won’t stop here, the Academy have clearly loved the film, and are going to reward it with a number of Oscars this year, although I would have much preferred to see The Ballad of Buster Scruggs take home a prize.

Best Makeup and Hairstyling

Who I Think Will Win – Vice
Who I Think Should Win – Vice
This is the one category that Vice will be rewarded in, and obviously so, one of they key features of the film was Bale’s transformation into Dick Cheney. Mary Queen of Scots has a chance, but this is the one category that the Academy can actually give an award to Vice, and they will do so.

Best Sound Mixing

Who I Think Will Win – Bohemian Rhapsody
Who I Think Should Win – First Man
Bohemian Rhapsody will take this home on the night simply because of it being a music biopic, and the Live Aid scene. Voters will want to reward that scene, and the film, and this is one of the best categories to do so, and with First Man’s lack of nominations throughout, it seems it’s not very popular with the academy.

Best Sound Editing

Who I Think Will Win – Black Panther
Who I Think Should Win – A Quiet Place
This is one of the many awards that I can see Black Panther taking home on the night, with Sound Editing being such a wide open category I can see Black Panther coming through and taking home the prize. However, Bohemian Rhapsody could take it too, but I think in this category Black Panther has more of a push. I would’ve liked to see A Quiet Place win as their use of sound was the most impressive.

Best Visual Effects

Who I Think Will Win – Black Panther
Who I Think Should Win – Avengers: Infinity War
Black Panther has been rewarded frequently with Visual Effects awards and will certainly take home this prize, although Avengers should win this, it does not have the same support from the Academy as Black Panther, and will lose out on this award.

Best Film Editing

Who I Think Will Win – Bohemian Rhapsody
Who I Think Should Win – Vice
Film editing is a very close contest with different films winning throughout award season. The last time a film that won best editing went on to win Best Picture was Argo in 2013, and with each nominee being nominated for Best Picture this trend might stop, which would lend itself towards The Favourite or Green Book winning, however, Bohemian Rhapsody will take home the prize for its Live Aid Scene, although it should not win. The whole category is the weakest it has been in a long time, though.

Best Cinematography –

Who I Think Will Win – Roma
Who I Think Should Win – Roma
This is the one category that Roma is a dead on to win, it has won the majority of awards over award season. The only other possibility would be Cold War taking the prize as the Academy does not want Netflix’s films to take the prizes, however, that is highly unlikely, and Alfonso Cuarón will definitely take home the prize for Cinematography alongside Directing.

And now the Big Four…

Best Actress –

Who I Think Will Win – Glenn Close
Who I Think Should Win – Olivia Colman
Both frontrunners for this award, Glenn Close and Olivia Colman, have won numerous awards throughout awards season. The odds have swung both ways but at this point Glenn Close is the most likely, given her success over awards season, and her long career in the film industry, it is more than likely going to end up going to Close, although both have very good chances of taking home the prize.

Best Actor –

Who I think Will Win – Rami Malek
Who I think should win – Christian Bale
Rami Malek is almost a certainty to win this award now after his recent awards. At one point this was a closely thought battle between Malek and Bale, but critics have adored Malek’s performance, along with audiences too, and have constantly pushed for his success. Viggo Mortensen seems to have more chance of winning at this point than Bale, who could only realistically win in a vote for him as a person over the years, who has not yet won Best Leading Actor, which the Academy often do, but the push for Malek is too strong at this point, and he will, unfortunately, take home the prize over Bale, who put in a masterful performance as Dick Cheney. A key problem for Bale is that people don’t like Cheney, whereas Freddie Mercury is widely adored, making his chances every smaller.

Best Director –

Who I think Will Win – Alfonso Cuarón
Who I think should win – Alfonso Cuarón
This is one of the categories that is almost a certainty at this point. Alfonso
Cuarón has won almost every single award possible for directing, and there is no way he is going to lose this. The only possible outcome in which he doesn’t win would be if Spike Lee secures the award due to his lack of appreciation over the years, however, this has not really received any sort of push with all the focus being on Cuarón, and rightly so, he thoroughly deserves the award and it is one of the few categories I would gladly back heavily.

And finally…

Best Picture –

Mahershala Ali and Viggo Mortensen in Green Book

Who I Think Will Win – Green Book
Who I Think Should Win – Roma
For a while this category seemed a forgone conclusion, however, as we get closer to the Oscars things continue to drastically change. Green Book’s success at the Golden Globe’s and the PGA’s, alongside its recent campaign push leaves it with a strong possibility of taking home the biggest award of the night. Roma, at one point, seemed almost certain to claim victory, however, due to the Oscars preferential voting system for best picture, Roma is unlikely to gain 50% of the vote, meaning that the second preferred film is then taken into account on each voters ballot, and it his highly likely that Green Book will swoop in and secure the victory this way. Roma certainly deserves the reward, and still is a strong favourite, but the Oscars throw up many surprises, and I think this may be one of them.

19th Feb 2019 by MatthewJohnson

Christopher Nolan – The Definite Ranking

Upon the announcement of Christopher Nolan’s latest upcoming release, a Warner Brothers ‘event’ – as they put it themselves – to be released in Summer 2020, it only seems fitting to explore his extraordinary catalogue of films. One of the most critically acclaimed directors of all time, and the 6^th highest grossing director of all time, Christopher Nolan is one of the iconic directors of our time. His ability to make smart and challenging blockbusters have led to him to gain a mass following, and huge support from critics, led him to become one of the leaders of his generation, and be the only director working who would be trusted with over $100m to make a film such as Inception.

In a career spanning just over 20 years Christopher Nolan has crafted a collection of 10 incredible films, with 5 of them being selected in Empire’s 100 Greatest Movies, and three being selected in BBC’s 100 Greatest Film’s of the 21^st Century. He has created his own style of film-making and is a leader in the production of IMAX films and is surely going to continue to guide the way for more innovation and ground-breaking filmmaking. Undoubtedly he will go down in history as one of all the all time great directors, and it only seems fitting to explore his incredible filmography.

In celebration of this man’s fine work I have decided to make the definitive – or at least, my definitive – ranking of his ten films. It was extremely difficult and I imagine if I did this again next week it would be entirely different.

10 – Following

Nolan’s directorial debut is a smart neo-noir thriller. At a run time of 70 minutes, Nolan creates an exciting film in a short space of time. As precisely filmed as Nolan’s films ever are, Following put his name on the map as a filmmaker, with its dark story, precisely filmed scenes and Nolan’s classic non-linear structure. With a tiny budget, Nolan was able to show the talent he is, and although bottom of this list, it is a great piece of film-making, and an exciting debut that paved the way for an incredible career.

9 – Insomnia

Nolan’s forgotten film. His first big budget film is often lost in his collection of works, however, his remake of the 1997 Norwegian film of the same name stands firm as a solid piece of work. Following the critical success of his second film, 2000’s Memento, Nolan’s follow up may seem like a slight disappointment, however, with stellar performances from Al Pacino and Robin Williams, and the great direction of Christopher Nolan it is a good film that showed that Nolan was more than capable of handling a big budget. It also showed his ability to make blockbuster movies that were more than just ‘popcorn flicks’, he had continued to make smart, thrilling movies, and although it may not stand up in the same vein as his best pieces of work, it has paved the way for Nolan’s smart blockbuster films that followed.

8 – Batman Begins

A new era of superhero films began with Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy. Gone were the cheesy, childish superhero films that had been so common, and Nolan introduced a dark and gritty superhero film, exploring what made Batman who he is and why. It was a superhero film that had a sense of realism not seen before, and Cristian Bale’s performance as Bruce Wayne provided an exploration of the character not seen before. Nolan mixed his film-making style with the superhero genre to create the beginning of a trilogy that will go down in history. It is apparent, though, the difference in quality between Batman Begins and The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises, at this point Nolan was still a director learning his craft, especially in big budget films, but it was one of the best, if not the best superhero origins movie of all time.

7 – The Prestige

2006’s The Prestige is one of Nolan’s most forgotten films. A brooding, twisting thriller, his follow up to Batman Begins showcased his own storytelling abilities, alongside his brilliance as a director. His story of two magicians locked in a battle to beat to the other leads to thrilling results, and an unexpected science-fiction thriller that has an twists and turns at the end, leading to many surprise revelations. Both actors performances are solid and the cinematography throughout is superb, but it lacks slightly what the next six films possess, and that is Nolan’s stunning direction that can leave the audience in awe. Smart and exciting, Nolan manages to turn a magician tale into a thrilling sci-fi, however, it is his last film on the list that is simply good, and not extraordinary.

6 – The Dark Knight Rises

At this point in the list is becomes almost impossible to list each film. Every one of the films to come is Christopher Nolan at his best, and this is no exception. However, it falls at the bottom of this top portion of films for a few reasons. The third act of the film is the weakest of the trilogy, with the resolution of the three films not being entirely satisfactory. Aside from that Nolan has created some of the best scenes in his directorial career and created a genuinely dark thriller, with an incredibly well acted villain in Bane – played by Tom Hardy. The opening plane scene is an example of Nolan at his best, creating an incredible action scene without the use of CGI, and ending up being one of the best scenes in the film. It is a film that explores a number of themes that affect modern day society everyday, and explores our governments and political systems. The film is thrilling, dark and visually incredible, Christopher Nolan proved that superhero movies can be anything that they want to be, and, sitting in 6th on this list just goes to prove the quality of Nolan’s films.

5 – Dunkirk

Dunkirk is Christopher Nolan at his best, his directing is incredible in this war movie that avoids all of the cliches and tropes of war movies in years gone by. Nolan does not glorify the war, does not try to create heroes, simply choosing to show one of the greatest moments of unity and strength in history. He is in total control of his craft, from land to sea to air and creates a thrilling piece of visual cinema. At times almost a silent movie, the focus is entirely on the visual spectacle that Dunkirk is. With one of his shortest running times, and completely different to his usual storytelling, Dunkirk is almost completely different to a Nolan film, but at the same time everything that he does perfectly. Separated into three sections over three time periods, Nolan still managed to explore the events in his own non-linear style, and prove that film audiences don’t need to be shown simple blockbusters every time, instead something clever can be done with a film of such a large budget. It is his incredible direction that leads Dunkirk to be one of the great war movies of all time. Although it could possibly be seen as Nolan’s attempt to pander to award shows, it is not the case, and instead, Nolan simply made a visual masterpiece and one of the all time great war movies, breaking the mould of the films that preceded it.

4 – The Dark Knight

Possibly Nolan’s most iconic film, The Dark Knight is the greatest comic book film of all time, and one of the best films of all time also. From incredible directing, to one of the best acting performances of all time from Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight is everything that Hollywood can be. Similarly to The Dark Knight Rises, neither films are really superhero films, instead thrillers with incredible character studies throughout. It’s in the title itself, The Dark Knight is one of the darkest comic books films released and is what made it so special, not childish in any way, no gimmicks, simply an incredible piece of action with possibly the greatest villain of all time. No longer was The Joker a villain that wasn’t taken seriously, instead, Heath Ledger turned it into the most iconic villain of our time with the best performance of the twenty first century. The Dark Knight is a film that provides genuine moral questions and creates genuine threat throughout, from Batman’s choice between Harvey or Rachel, to the finale between the two ships, it explores what is right and wrong and feels more than just a superhero movie, it is a juggernaut of a film that provides some of the most iconic scenes in film history.

3 – Inception

Inception is a tour-de-force of a film, from action to drama, Nolan creates one of the smartest films of our time. Inception is Nolan’s best piece of storytelling and narrative structure to date, with the layers of dreams create an abundance of stunning worlds. Led by an all star cast Inception creates thrills from the very first scene, with Leonardo DiCaprio at his best throughout. In this film Nolan proved himself to be on of the most iconic directors of all-time with his use of practical effects rather than CGI, with the most iconic example being the fight scene in the hotel, with Nolan using a genuine revolving room powered by a jet engine. It’s exploration of dreams makes it a unique blockbuster film, and shows his quality to be trusted with a budget of $160 million to make such an ambitious film that, in the hands of another director, could have been a complete failure, but, instead, Christoper Nolan was in complete element. With stunning direction and cinematography, and Hans Zimmer’s deft touch on the score, it is a spectacle from start to finish. A film that takes multiple views to wrap your head around, it is smart, exciting and stamped Nolan’s name in the history of film-making.

2 – Memento

Memento was the film to put Christopher Nolan on the map. One of his most personal films to date, Memento is a psychological thriller that takes an audience on a journey that they probably won’t understand until the closing scenes. The film’s structure is one of his main features, with two different timelines, the colour scenes coming at the end of the story and the black and white coming at the start, but both are shown side by side, as we learn less and more about the story, respectively. The reveal at the climax is one of the smartest conclusions to a film in recent times, with both sides of the story coming together as one to reveal what is really happening, yet, there are still two potential truths, and it is up the audience to decide what they believe. Nolan’s best screenplay, and one of the all time great screenplays, and is something entirely different to what he is widely known for, but it began his exploration of narrative structure and how it can be changed. It is smart, thrilling and one of the all-time great films, and, incredibly, only his second film, sparking one of the greatest careers in film of all time.

1 – Interstellar

Interstellar is Nolan’s most ambitious films he has created to this date, yet, at the same time his most simple. In terms of storytelling it a simple tale of a father looking to provide a future for his family, and a story of a father and daughter’s relationship, but it is everything around that which makes it so ambitious, and Nolan’s greatest film. No other director making films right now would be trusted to make a film like Interstellar, which just proves Nolan’s quality, and incredible fan base. It is a visual spectacle, with stunning direction and cinematography, and of course, Nolan using practical effects at every turn possible. Not only that but Matthew McConaughey puts in a performance of a lifetime to create his most human film to date, which is ironic given the subject of the film. Upon release critics had a lukewarm response to the film, but as the years have gone on its brilliance has been widely applauded, from the acting to Nolan’s masterful directing. Hans Zimmer’s beautiful score adds to each scene, raising the tension entirely, creating some of the best scenes in cinema, from the water planet, to the docking scene, which are both visually stunning, and completely enthralling through both the music and directing. It is the best film I have seen in cinema and is one of the all-time great films, truly Nolan’s best work, and continued to prove he is one of the best directors of all time.

11th Feb 201922nd Dec 2019 by MatthewJohnson

My Top Ten Films of 2018

2018 has been an interesting year for film, not quite up to the standards of 2017, which featured some of the most impressive films of the last ten years. However, there have been some superb films that are unique, emotional and challenging, and a great testament to the film industry. Making a top ten list is always difficult and is likely to change as soon as this is posted, but as of writing this is my top ten films of 2018.

10 – A Quiet Place

Released: April 6th 2018 Director: John Krasinski Starring: Emily Blunt and John Krasinski

In John Krasinski’s debut directing role he showcased that he was somebody to be taken seriously. A post apocalyptic horror that’s key element is silence. A family’s survival is at stake as they try to find a way to live in a world where they cannot speak. The film’s best feature is its ability to take something that we take so much for granted, and strip it away from us. It is a smart thriller that has a human touch, as John Krasinski and Emily Blunt try to raise a young child alongside two other children in a world where they have to be silent at all times, and what they would do to protect one another. The real-life couple’s chemistry helps to make the family feel real in an entertaining horror film that was more than a pleasant suprise.

Best Moment: Emily Blunt giving birth amongst the attack by the creatures. It is the most tense moment of the film, leaving a cinema silent as the audience watch on as the split apart family try to save each other.

9 – Mission Impossible: Fallout

From Left to Right: Henry Cavill, Tom Cruise and Rebecca Ferguson in Mission Impossible: Fallout

Released: July 27th 2018 Director: Christopher McQaurrie Starring: Tom Cruise, Henry Cavill, Simon Pegg, Rebecca Ferguson, Ving Rhames

Mission Impossible: Fallout proves just how great hollywood cinema can be. Not all blockbuster films are simplistic and lacking a plot. Christopher McQuarrie has directed one of the great action movies, with Tom Cruise continuously proving himself to be the best there is at what he does. Thrilling from the moment it starts, MI:F goes into new territory for this hugely successful franchise, producing some of the best visual sequences this year in film. An ensemble cast provide compelling performances alongside a genuine threat, and dark themes of corruption and betrayal to create an iconic film in the blockbuster era.

Best Moment: The mission to recover Solomon Lane from the government by Hunt and Walker, undercover working with an arms dealer. The scene unfolds creating uncertainty, distrust and a series of spectacular visuals, with some superb directing and acting.

8 – The Ballad of Buster Scruggs

Tim Blake Nelson in The Ballad of Buster Scruggs

Released: November 9th 2018 Director: Joel and Ethan Coen Starring: Liam Neeson, James Franco, Tom Waits, Zoe Kazan, Tim Blake Nelson

The Coen Brothers new film is one of two Netflix releases on this list. A western split into six story, The Ballad of Buster Scruggs takes on different tales of criminals, entertainers and gold miners in a unique and interesting way. With Tarantino style dialogue in parts, the film is new territory for the Coen Brothers who have created many classics over the years. A fun film, with deep rooted messages about greed and crime in America, the Ballad of Buster Scruggs is another success story for the Coen brothers, as they venture into new horizons working with Netflix, who’s track record is consistently improving. With free reign over the film they have created an entertaining film that explores a range of ideas about America and it’s identity.

Best Moment: The final story explores three people on a coach ride with a driver unwilling to stop, as they all look back on their lives as they face the uncertainty of death they come together in their joint fear of dying. A poignant end that explores, in detail, the fear of death and people’s differences and similarities.

7 – Annihilation

Released: March 12th 2018 Director: Sam Garland Starring: Natalie Portman, Oscar Isaac, Tess Thompson, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Gina Rodriguez

Alex Garland’s follow up to Ex Machina is a thought-provoking science-fiction film that will leave you deep in thought for hours after the credits roll. An equally experimental film as Ex Machina, Garland creates an aesthetically pleasing world in which he, and the audience, can explore. Ranging from beautiful to frightening, Annihilation explores ‘the shimmer’, a toxic area spreading through the coast of America, and Lena – Natalie Portman – and her husband Kane – Oscar Isaac – are the only people to have survived entering it. The film explores the ideas of grief, mental health and humanity’s tendency to self-destruct. Each character, in the Shimmer goes through different challenges with their own mental health, and struggle to cooperate with one another. The stark contrasts between the beauty of the shimmer and the horror that lies within it create a harrowing and challenging film that leaves the audience with an abundance of questions.

Best Moment: The reveal of what happened to Kane is dark and challenging but is a pivotal moment in the film and is incredibly shocking and thought-provoking, making you question everything that came before.

6 – Burning

Released: May 17th 2018 Director: Lee Chang-dong Starring: Yoo Ah-in, Steven Yeun, Jeon Jong-seo

Burning is a sensual and mysterious film that moves from a love story with two love rivals to a crime filled film exploring the disappearance of the love interest – Shin Hae-mi. The film’s focus is the exploration of human relations and psychology, with the disappearance taking a backseat as the film continues, with Lee Jong-su becoming obsessed with his love rival Ben. Their paths become ever more intriguing until the inevitable climax that leaves questions in the air, with mysteries not revealing themselves, rather growing as the two men become obsessed with each other and finding out who each other really are. A film about class, with two characters coming from different worlds, helps to feel the lust and pain that Jong-su feels. It is a film that will leave you questioning human relations and our relations with one another.

Best Moment: Ben’s dream of burning the greenhouses, a hallucinatory scene that creates the sense of fear and danger in a film that was before a simple tale of two love rivals.

5 – Shoplifters

Released: 8th June 2018 Director: Hirokazu Kore-eda Starring: Lily Franky, Sakura Ando, Mayu Matsuoka

Hirokazu Kore-eda’s 20 years in Japanese film are clear in this extraordinary tale of a make shift family who steal to get by. The family end up literally stealing a young girl named Yuri, who is visibly abused by her family. The film is full of poignant moments as this ‘family’ grow closer, with husband and wife becoming intimate for the first time in years, and a shop assistant helping Shota as long as he doesn’t teach Yuri how to steal. It is a film that asks questions of the rights and wrongs and explores how united a group of people can become. It is the story of damaged people joined together in a common cause, until they realise that they may not be doing the right things. The family’s split and Yuri’s return to her family epitomise the agony of society with people who are broken and struggling to cope.

Best Moment: Noboyu telling Osamu that Shota is too good for them is a heartbreaking moment that epitomises the human, emotional feel that resonates throughout the entirety of the film, and sums up why it is so special.

4 – Sorry To Bother You

Lakeith Stanfield in Sorry To Bother You

Released: 13 July 2018 Director: Boots Riley Starring: Lakeith Stanfield, Tess Thompson, Steven Yeun, Forest Whitaker

Boots Riley’s directorial debut is as daring as it could possibly have been. A politically charged, socially aware film that explores the issues of modern society, with capitalism being the focal point. As absurd as it is poignant, it explores the basics of modern life, and the possibilities of what could be hidden in the richest of society. Lakeith Stanfield provides a portrayal of modern society, caught between wanting to make change and needing to improve their situation in a money driven world. It is a unique film that successfully manages to blur the line between our own reality and the extraordinary world that Riley creates, and creates both laughter and discomfort as the characters are dragged into this awful world, that has alarming similarities to our own.

Best Moment: The meeting between Cassius Green (Lakieth Stanfield) and Steve Lift (Armie Hammer). An extraordinary portrayal of the difference between the working people of society, and the people that control their lives, it is a scene that moves from funny to tense in a matter of moments, and is one of the most pivotal moments of the film.

3 – You Were Never Really Here

Joaquin Phoenix in You Were Never Really Here

Released: 9th March 2018 Director: Lynne Ramsay Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Ekatarina Samsonov

Lynne Ramsay continues to produce outstanding films, after 1999’s Ratcatcher and 2011’s We Need To Talk About Kevin, she has stepped it up another notch. Ramsey uses the short ninety minute run time perfectly to create a film that wastes no time in exploring Joe – Joaquin Phoenix – and his backstory, and his violent journey to rescue young Nina. The film efficiently explores Joe’s mental health and struggles with the life he has been given, whilst also providing a thrilling crime film, that unveils questions of corruption, paedophilia and family. Phoenix provides the performance of a lifetime as he struggles between life and death, with a chilling part of the film being him suffocating himself regularly in a plastic sheet as a form of relief. A chilling film that proves Ramsey to be one of the master filmmakers, and evermore shows the talent that Joaquin Phoenix is.

Best Moment: Joe finding Nina for the final time in Governor Williams’ house, a quietly hopeful scene. After believing he had failed to save her and breaking down in the Governor’s bedroom, Joe finds Nina. He seems finally at peace, and at the same time empty, as he has no purpose now to continue living. Phoenix’s stunning performance makes the audience feel all the pain that Joe is feeling and provide a fitting end to a haunting film.

2 – Widows

Daniel Kaluuya and Brian Tyree Henry in Widows

Released: 6th November 2018 Director: Steve McQueen Starring: Viola Davis, Elizabeth Debicki, Daniel Kaluuya, Colin Farrell, Brian Tyree Henry, Liam Neeson

If not for the sheer brilliance of the number one spot, Widows would easily have been my number one film of the year. Steve McQueen’s follow up to 2013’s Oscar winning 12 Years A Slave, a heist film with an all-star ensemble cast, Widows is an exciting, challenging and entirely brilliant film. Stellar performances from Viola Davis, Elizabeth Debicki and especially Daniel Kaluuya made the already excellent screenplay transform into a tense film about the dark side of politics, and the criminal underworld in Chicago. None of the characters in the film are likeable, interestingly, throughout the film they all grow more and more morally ambiguous, and you begin to wonder whether any of them deserve to survive or succeed. McQueen has created a dark film that more than lives up to the expectations of a follow up to 12 Years A Slave, and showcases an entirely new side to his film-making capabilities, he is a man in total control of his craft.

Best Moment: Daniel Kaluuya’s key scene on the basketball court listening to the rapper. A riveting performance from Kaluuya is capped by this chilling moment that begins to set the mood for the rest of the film.

1 – Roma

Released: 27th October 2018 Director: Alfonso Cuarón Starring: Yalitza Aparicio, Marina de Tavira

The number one spot was only ever going to be held by Roma. Netflix’s original film, produced, written and directed by Alfonso Cuarón is a masterpiece. Cuarón’s personal film, inspired by his own childhood, is a beautiful portrayal of life in Mexico in the 1970’s. Shot in black and white, it is a subtle film that explores the beauty and the pain of life. With masterful directing Cuarón demands the attention of the audience to watch each scene, at the helm of the cinematography he made sure every single shot counts and every moment feels important. If any film could be more different to the film that won him his first directing Oscar – Gravity (2013) – then it is this. Yet, both showcase a man with an amazing ability behind a camera, not only to tell a great story through the writing, but through every single choice of shot. Roma is a masterpiece of cinema on the most human level possible.

Best Moment: The final scene on the beach. One of the most beautiful scenes in recent cinema, with an incredible piece of directing, a continuous shot through the beach and ocean following the family that ends the movie in the most incredible way.

7th Feb 201921st Dec 2019 by MatthewJohnson

2019 Oscar Nominations: The Big Debate

Every year the Oscar nominations are filled with controversy and complaints. One person’s favourite actor wasn’t nominated, and another’s favourite film failed to be nominated. Often the nominations do not provide too many surprises, but it seems this year that quite a few poorchoices were made in the process of nominations. The best picture nominations are filled with strange choices and unfair admissions, and it seems apparent that a few of the choices were made on popularity and possibly an attempt for the Academy to ensure relevancy and improve falling ratings over recent years.Not only that, but it also seems as if the Academy failed to see or realise thequality of other films and performances during the year, which raises the question also of the Academy’s ability to properly nominate the correct films and performances.

The Best Picture nominations for this year are some of the weakest in recent years. Admittedly, the Academy doesn’t always reward the best films with the actual award, but they have nominated some brilliant films over recent years. Last years nominees; Dunkirk, Get Out, Call Me By Your Name, Lady Bird and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri were all highlights, although the eventual winner, The Shape of Water was, yet another, indication of the Academy’s failings to reward the best films and performances. This year’s nominees are not up to the standards of the last four years, that included a mass of incredible films. However, despite some of the lack of quality, Roma, The Favourite and BlacKkKlansman are undeniable high points of the year, with Roma being one of the best films of the last decade, with Alfonso Cuarón proving to be an early favourite to earn his second Oscar for Best Directing. It is on the other end of the scale that things do not live up to these standards. Black Panther, Bohemian Rhapsody and A Star Is Born show the lack of quality or films this year, or, the Academy’s ignorance towards the quality films released this year. Both Bohemian Rhapsody and A Star Is Born are not Best Picture films, somehow, they have found themselves on this list at the expense of some incredible films this year, such as First Reformed and You Were Never Really Here, the latter being one of the biggest snubs of the year. Black Panther’s selection seems to be the culturally relevant pick of the bunch. The nomination for Black Panther just adds to the whole Best Popular Movie controversy, with the nomination seeming to be, alongside Bohemian Rhapsody and A Star Is Born, the popular choice of the nominations, in an attempt to improve ratings and relevance.
Although it was a solid film, it was not a best picture film, and only because of its cultural importance on social media was it selected, for the Academy to choose a film that promotes diversity. Yet, their diversity seemed to run out here with their massive exclusions of films such as If Beale Street Could Talk, Widows and Sorry To Bother You, all of which deserved to be on the list for best picture, and were, in fact, snubbed in almost every category that they should have been nominated in. It is not a surprise, however disappointing it may be to see them miss out. One film that missed out, also, is Burning, which did not even get a nomination in the Foreign Film category, despite being one of the most critically acclaimed films of the year.

Another area with major snubs was the actor categories, with both Timothée Chalamet and Daniel Kaluuya missing out on nominations in supporting roles, the former being hugely overlooked. In a category with nominations for Sam Elliot and Sam Rockwell, it seems odd that these two actors missed out on nominations for stellar performance. Sam Rockwell was not in Vice for long enough and did not have enough impact on the film to warrant a nomination. Both Timothée and Daniel were superb in both their films, and, just like last year, with their unrewarded performances in Call Me By Your Name and Get Out, they have been overlooked by the academy. Not only that, but in the leading actor category Ethan Hawke was severely overlooked for his role in First Reformed, one of the films that was disappointingly overlooked by the Academy in several categories. Although none of these mentioned would have won anyway, it does not affect the fact that they have been overlooked for roles that do not deserve nominations, as the Academy continues to ignore newer performers, in favour of older actors who could have won Oscars previously. In my personal opinion, this exact thing happened last year with Gary Oldman winning best actor over Timothée Chalamet and Daniel Kaluuya, who definitely deserved it more.

The female acting categories are one, which, surprisingly, does not have a major snub or disappointment, aside from Toni Collette in Hereditary, which was a major shock, but there are several actresses who could win the awards, making it the most interesting of the categories in this year’s awards as Olivia Colman and Glenn Close both battle it out for Best Actress for their performances in The Favourite and The Wife respectively. The supporting actress category is one that could go either way, although Regina King is the most likely, and deserving to win. Any of them could win, however, and deservedly so.

In the technical categories, there are, as always, several poor choices, with the biggest snub of all being the huge lack of nominations for First Man, which seemed an obvious choice for the majority of technical categories in categories such as Film Editing. Bohemian Rhapsody’s nomination in Film Editing makes you wonder if the academy even watched some films as this was, by far, one of the films weakest points.

Marielle Heller and Melissa McCarthy on the set of Can You Ever Forgive Me?

The directing category is lacking a single woman this year, which is, of course, a major disappointment.However, it must be noted that there were not many films directed by women that were outstanding moments of directing. Suggestions of Marielle Heller for Can You Ever Forgive Me do not seemed warranted, with it not being an outstanding film this year. However, Lynne Ramsey’s work on You Were Never Really Here was completely overlooked, however, it seemed the case that the film itself was never in contention for any awards due to a lack of a promotional push and campaigning, as it was not just Ramsey that was not rewarded, but the film as a whole. It seems not to raise on issue that women were not rewarded this year, but more that women are not provided the opportunity to direct the best films, and that more opportunities are needed for women. It is no surprise that when given the chance, they shine, with examples such as Greta Gerwig’s Lady Bird, and Kathryn Bigelow’s The Hurt Locker, proving the quality of women directors, and their ability to provide a different perspective in films, in a male dominated industry we need to provide more opportunities for women in directing and producing roles. However, the Oscar Nominees this year in directing are less of an actual issue.

La La Land is mistakenly awarded best picture at the 89th Academy Awards.

This year does not seem to be a year for ground breaking winners, or anything spectacular, but hopefully the Academy can make the right decisions with the actual awards and avoid any drama, such as the La La Land debacle, which massively undersold the importance of Moonlight’s Best Picture victory. Although the Academy, as always, is caught up in picking Oscar bait films and not rewarding the quality films out there that are deserving of nominations, we can hope that they can simply pick the right winners, and move on to next year’s awards. There will be no historic moments, but as long as the right nominees are rewarded it can be classed as a solid year, for the Academy that is.

At The Movies

Student. Writing about film.

Month / Feb 2019

2019 Oscar Predictions

Christopher Nolan – The Definite Ranking

My Top Ten Films of 2018

2019 Oscar Nominations: The Big Debate