Tuesday 6 March 2018

Quick Reviews #20: Oscars 2018 Edition

The Oscars have been and gone; this year with less drama and more predictability (for better or worse). I've been pretty good at catching the nominees this year - seeing all but one from the best picture list. I haven't reviewed them all though, so here's my Quick Reviews post for you guys to see what I thought of the other nominees - other than Get Out and Dunkirk that I haven't reviewed before. So read on and enjoy. 


The Shape of Water

A new film with an old school feel, from the plot to the pacing. It’s typical Guillermo del Toro, one of the best auteurs working today, his style is all over it and the story is the right mix of strange and beautiful to have come from his mind. It didn’t strike me as much as some of his previous films, however it is still an amazing watch. Its story of outsiders strikes a chord right now still making it worthy of its Oscar win, even if - yes - I do think there were better films in the line-up this year.
4/5

Lady Bird

I went through all the emotions watching this film. Greta Gerwig has made a gut-punch of a film; a coming of age story that’s all about walking the dangerous line of being an individual and wanting to fit in. I dare any millennial not to relate to this film: the feelings and the emotions just rang so scarily true. This is the kind of film I’ve always wanted to write, I’ve even tried to, but I don’t think I would ever be able to perfect it the way Gerwig has.
5/5

Call Me by Your Name

A fairy-tale romantic film set in the Italian countryside that’s bursting with sex and sensuality. As coming of age films go this one can be a hard watch at times. As you know the flourishing romance has a time limit on it; this is all going to end in tears. Knowing this I tried not to get too attached to the main characters but it was impossible to do so. Their chemistry, despite the age gap, is electric and I was a mess when it all came to an end. The whole thing has a love song music video vibe to it. I loved it.
5/5

Phantom Thread

It's gorgeous to look at, as it entices you in, captures you and takes you on a dark and twisted ride through a relationship like no other seen on film before. A superbly crafted film with excellent performances all round and a surprising and darkly funny script. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about this one. It’s a shame it never got as much hype as some of the other films on this list; it deserved to. It's a good one to end on for Daniel Day-Lewis, too bad he didn’t get the Oscar for it.
4.5/5

Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri

I’ve been struggling with what to write about this one. I really liked it but at the same time I acknowledge the problems it has. They should never have tried to redeem Dixon, he was a great villain and should have stayed that way. We’ve had nonredeemable characters redeemed in the past but the way this film tried to force this one left a bad taste in my mouth. It is just a bad choice in what is an overall good film. A film that could be dark and funny before switching to sweet and sombre within a moment.
3.5/5

The Post

My politics ruined some of my enjoyment of Three Billboards but in this film it elevated the experience. The film might as well be called 2017, the parallels are scary and the Spielberg sentimentality really works and is very much needed right now. It’s very well rounded, has great cinematography, great performances and a great score. Spielberg isn’t losing his touch any time soon.
4/5

What did you think of these films? Did the Oscars get it right this year? Let me know in the comments below

Thanks for reading!

No comments:

Post a Comment

Please Feel Free To Comment!