Last year was one of the weaker years in film that I can remember, as indicated by the fact that I haven't written a movie review in forever. There just weren't that many I felt the urgency to see in the theater. Now that all of the Best Picture nominees have been released on DVD, I was able to watch the last of them this week. While the disastrous Moonlight won top honors, here's how the list should've been, from best to worst.
1. Hidden Figures--though it's not a perfect film, I enjoyed watching it much more than the other nominees...great cast, great message, great historical story.
2. Arrival--a tad slow at times, but it's a smart movie with an original premise and an knockout performance by Amy Adams.
3. Hell or High Water--a terrible message (we are supposed to be cheering for financially irresponsible people), but the characters are unique, the performances are top notch, and it looks great on screen.
4. Hacksaw Ridge--this film has tons of flaws, but at least it looks like big movie...second half is incredibly powerful, and it has a message everyone can support.
5. Manchester by the Sea--great performances from the leads, but there isn't much of story...nothing is really resolved, and it features the most annoying performance of the year (Lucas Hedges).
6. Lion--amazing story, but it's just so slow that it's difficult to stick with.
7. La La Land--earned a deserving Oscar for directing, but the performances and story fall flat with me...I don't care about what happens to either of those people, and it simply doesn't hold up to classic musicals of the past.
8. Fences--way too long and way too much talking...even the great lead performances could not save this from looking and sounding like a stage play instead of a feature film.
9. Moonlight--incredibly slow and perpetuates all of the worst stereotypes of the black community: poverty, drug use, homophobia, and violence...not anywhere near as good as everyone said and will quickly become one of the least remembered Best Picture winners.
1. Hidden Figures--though it's not a perfect film, I enjoyed watching it much more than the other nominees...great cast, great message, great historical story.
2. Arrival--a tad slow at times, but it's a smart movie with an original premise and an knockout performance by Amy Adams.
3. Hell or High Water--a terrible message (we are supposed to be cheering for financially irresponsible people), but the characters are unique, the performances are top notch, and it looks great on screen.
4. Hacksaw Ridge--this film has tons of flaws, but at least it looks like big movie...second half is incredibly powerful, and it has a message everyone can support.
5. Manchester by the Sea--great performances from the leads, but there isn't much of story...nothing is really resolved, and it features the most annoying performance of the year (Lucas Hedges).
6. Lion--amazing story, but it's just so slow that it's difficult to stick with.
7. La La Land--earned a deserving Oscar for directing, but the performances and story fall flat with me...I don't care about what happens to either of those people, and it simply doesn't hold up to classic musicals of the past.
8. Fences--way too long and way too much talking...even the great lead performances could not save this from looking and sounding like a stage play instead of a feature film.
9. Moonlight--incredibly slow and perpetuates all of the worst stereotypes of the black community: poverty, drug use, homophobia, and violence...not anywhere near as good as everyone said and will quickly become one of the least remembered Best Picture winners.