5. 'Stand Up for Something' - Marshall (Music by Diane Warren; Lyrics by Lonnie Lynn & Diane Warren)
Obviously I have no idea what the context of the song as used in the film is. It's a decent ballad, though nothing remarkable, and I imagine it must've been used in the credits of the film given how modern-feeling it is.
4. 'Mighty River' - Mudbound (Music and Lyrics by Mary J. Blige, Raphael Saadiq & Taura Stinson)
Much better suited to the tone of the film I'd imagine, and I probably prefer Blige's work here than her actual performance in the film. This is another ballad, a good one that captures the feel of the film's time period, though it's for the best they didn't actually include it in the film itself. 3. 'This is Me' - The Greatest Showman (Music and Lyrics by Benj Pasek & Justin Paul)
As a song in itself it's pretty wonderful, an entertaining show-stopper that's catchy enough. As its used in the film however, it comes across as exceedingly sanctimonious and hypocritical. So good song, bad use, but a bad film to boot, so I can't fault the song itself too much. 2. 'Mystery of Love' - Call Me By Your Name (Music and Lyrics by Sufjan Stevens)
Great song, though not my favourite from the film, and the way it is used isn't particularly inspired. Nevertheless, Stevens' understated and soothing vocals accompanying the carefree melody is lovely, and I thoroughly enjoy how it slowly builds up to a subtly emotional bridge. An exceedingly enjoyable tune to listen to. 1. 'Remember Me' - Coco (Music and Lyrics by Kristen Anderson-Lopez & Robert Lopez)
EASILY my favourite of the nominees, both as a song in itself - the studio version sung by Miguel is great too - and how it's utilized in the film is downright amazing, as in so many different contexts it comes across in so many different ways, a sprightly showstopping tune, a heartbreaking lullaby, and an inspiring wake-up call.
Beauty and the Beast and Darkest Hour Production Design: Sarah Greenwood Set Decoration: Katie Spencer
This duo has collaborated with one another for over 20 years, and to six previous Oscar nominations, including a few Joe Wright productions - Pride and Prejudice, Atonement, Anna Karenina -, and once again here work with Wright on his latest, Darkest Hour, where their work focused on establishing a different sense of tone and atmosphere to previous depictions of the time period surrounding Churchill. They also worked together on Beauty and the Beast this year, recreating the animated version's various surroundings into live-action format. Blade Runner 2049 Production Design: Dennis Gassner Set Decoration: Alessandra Querzola
This is Gassner's 6th nomination, having had the notable achievement of having two nominations and one win in 1991 for Barton Fink and Bugsy. and also did the production design on Road to Perdition which one of the few aspects of the film I genuinely like. This is Querzola's first nomination, and her most high profile work as a set decorator, though she'd previously worked in the art department for big projects like Skyfall and Age of Ultron.
Dunkirk Production Design: Nathan Crowley Set Decoration: Gary Fettis
This is Crowley's fourth nomination, all the previous three having come from Christopher Nolan productions - The Prestige, The Dark Knight, Interstellar - though he's also done acclaimed work on the likes of Public Enemies and the television series of Westworld, and an art director on Braveheart. Fettis is no slouch either, having collaborated with Crowley on Interstellar and frequently working with Clint Eastwood, garnering an Oscar nom for Changeling.
The Shape of Water Production Design: Paul Denham Austerberry Set Decoration: Shane Vieau and Jeff Melvin
The first nomination for all three of these individuals, not for lack of a backcatalog of work - Austerberry has worked on the Resident Evil and Twilight saga, Vieau with del Toro on Crimson Peak and Suicide Squad, Melvin on Pompeii and Crimson Peak - but because this is the first time they've worked on something that's Oscar-friendly, for The Shape of Water which in any other year would most certainly not be Oscar-friendly.
Ranking the nominees -
5. Beauty and the Beast
Not bad work at all, the designers certainly recreated the animated counterparts well enough, the Beast's palace is lavish, the town is very cozy-looking, pretty much everything is good. However, I will say that for the most part there didn't seem like there was much they could do beyond emulating the animated form in real-life, and while I thought it was very good work on the whole, I didn't think it was great.
4. Dunkirk
While obviously there's not much in the way of real 'sets', the choices of locations to shoot at both on land and at sea are worth praising on their own. Otherwise this is really good minimalist work. I like how it's never show or detracts from the other exceptional technical elements, while setting up scenes perfectly, for example that opening shot on the streets of Dunkirk, to the rescue boats, to most memorably the ships the soldiers find themselves holed up within. The choices made here are never 'showy', but they add to the film in the right way.
3. Darkest Hour
The overall dusty, dark aesthetic to many of the sets I thought actually worked extremely well (the underground meeting rooms, the Underground, the House of Commons). There's King George's extravagant palace rooms which while perhaps still a bit too stylised for its own good, is much improved over say, The King's Speech in this department (though certainly no The Crown). This is daring work that while it does not necessarily amplify the film at every turn, is a rather excellent part of it when it does work.
2. Blade Runner 2049
Fantastic work and I have to say from an objective perspective this is probably the 'best' out of the nominees, though not my 'favourite'. The original Blade Runner had stunning production design in every room, landscape, building etc. and that spirit carries on here. Wallace's headquarters are perhaps the highlights, Deckard's Las Vegas hideout is to, and the mor minimalist sets like the underground cellar in San Diego are pretty great as well. The production design strikes the perfect balance between Villeneuve's characteristic visual minimalism and the grandeur of the Blade Runner universe, as all things beautiful and terrible are evoked in the most memorable way possible.
1. The Shape of Water
Willing to concede that this is perhaps my most subjective pick out of all the technical categories. I absolutely loved every set in The Shape of Water. In terms of the minor aspects, the memorable science-fiction headquarters where the Asset is housed, to Strickland's painfully cheery 'All-American' household, Eliza and Giles' flats which each have such a distinctive character of their own despite being somewhat similar (I particularly love how the use of grey in Eliza's department is both beautiful and depressing). Then there's the downright amazing movie theater set and the musical sound stage, plus just a few other nice touches like the Russian kitchen. A lot of the film is technically quite 'grimy', intentionally so, yet beautiful in its own way from the perspective of Eliza. It is one of the most essential elements to the film's creation, and though it's a close one between these top two I'm going with my very personal preference.
Ivory is now I believe, the official oldest nominee for the Oscar in the writing category (his fourth nomination overall). He's had an amazing career, having been the driving force behind some excellent British films like A Room with a View, Howards End, and one of my all-time favourite film adaptations of one of my all-time favourite novels, The Remains of the Day. This screenplay is perhaps most evocative of his work on Maurice in exploring sexual identity as a young gay man through the relationship between Elio and Oliver over the course of a sunny summer in the Italian countryside.
The Disaster Artist - Scott Neustadter & Michael H. Weber
Neustadter and Weber have had quite the interesting career trajectory, starting off with the indie roots of smash hit 500 Days of Summer and moving to the more mainstream fare of young adult dramas like The Spectacular Now and The Fault in Our Stars (ehh), and this year working on no other than the one, the only story of Tommy Wiseau and The Room.
Logan - Scott Frank & James Mangold and Michael Green
A real surprise, I'd say, that it came down to an X-Men film to garner the first ever nomination for a superhero film screenplay - no, The Dark Knight was not nominated for one back in 2008 (although, as a devout lover of The Dark Knight, I'll admit that if one finds fault anywhere it would be with dialogue like 'things are worse than ever' and 'no more dead cops'). Frank, who's worked on varous adaptations from Philip K. Dick (Minority Report) to John Grogan's Marley and Me, and Green who this year alone contributed to Logan, Murder on the Orient Express, Alien Covenant, and Blade Runner 2049, worked with Mangold in both adapting and significant revising the source material of 'Old Man Logan' from the X-Men comics. Molly’s Game - Aaron Sorkin
You all know Aaron Sorkin, and you all either love or hate him with his work on (take a deep breath) A Few Good Men, The Social Network, The West Wing, Steve Jobs, Moneyball and more. This marked Sorkin's directorial debut, and his choice of story to adapt was that of Molly Bloom's memoir (take another deep breath), Molly's Game: From Hollywood's Elite to Wall Street's Billionaire Boys Club, My High-Stakes Adventure in the World of Underground Poker and the undercover poker empire she ran with many Hollywood celebrities, atheletes and the shady Russian mob, as well as his own addition of the story of her trial.
Mudbound - Virgil Williams and Dee Rees
Television writer Williams and director Rees collaborated on this adaptation of Hillary Jordan's 2008 novel, which she's apparently working on a sequel to. The screenplay has been hovering around awards season, winning at the Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association getting a slew of nominations, and making it the first Netflix film to be nominated in the screenplay category.
My ranking for the nominees -
5. Molly's Game
This has plenty of good things to talk about. The usual Sorkinese dialogue flows well, and the general storytelling is fine, particularly when delving into the crazy world of underground poker games, the exposition delivered about these games is well handled, the humour is generally good, and there are particular standout confrontations like the scene between Molly and Player X, and any scene where Molly has to navigate her way around particularly uncouth individuals.
The bad part is when the film tries to get more 'serious'. I particularly hated the subplot with her father, which not only never really went anywhere interesting, was filled with some of the most on-the-nose, unrealistic dialogue even for an Aaron Sorkin screenplay. The trial scenes are mostly fine, but a few scenes where it tries to defend Molly Bloom as some sort of paragon of morality feel very faulty, and I have to give extra credit to Idris Elba for selling the hell out of some of those extremely cheesy lines - his big speech is one of the few instances where the 'moralizing' works. The script might've been better off as more of a The Social Network 'she's not a jerk,. just trying too hard to be one' tale.
4. Mudbound
Mudbound is consistently engaging from a visual standpoint, from a narrative perspective its far more of a mixed bag. There's the racist father which I actually thought was the worst part of the film, partially due to the performance behind it but also the writing where almost every line that comes out of his mouth is, 'I'm a grizzled ol' bigot'. The dynamic between the disgruntled wife and the unfeeling husband was never actively bad, but felt underwritten for the most part as they seem to go from an amiable enough relationship to animosity in the blink of an eye, and the exploration of the Jackson family's dynamic was solid but never went beyond the expected point. The use of narration is a mixed bag, again a lot of it is due to the performances, but the narration that tries to convey more story feels clumsy, while the narration that gives life to their internal thoughts works well. There's many reservations I have to the overall story and dialogue, but I thought the exploration of the African-American soldier and his friendship with a fellow veteran was fascinating, and honestly would have preferred a screenplay that honed in on the character of Ronsel, though in part that is also due to Jason Mitchell's excellent performance.
3. Call Me By Your Name
I really like all of these top 3 scripts, and it was relatively difficult to rank them. Funnily enough, though it seems to be the most dialogue-driven film out of these three, Call Me By Your Name relies a great deal on silence, particularly in establishing the relationship between Elio and Oliver. I should also note that apparently, early on in the creative process there was the possibility of using a narrator's voice throughout the film, I'm glad they didn't go with that as it would've felt entirely out of place. Having said that, whenever characters speak in the film, there's always this sprightly, verbose air that feels entirely natural, and most importantly fitting to the very erudite setting of the film. I particularly liked the subtle interplay between Elio and Oliver over the former's musical capabilities, Elio's bemusement at Oliver's use of 'later', or Mr Perlman's observations about the Greek statues ('not a single straight line in them'). I will say most of the film's most powerful and affecting moments are its silent ones, but there is of course Mr Perlman's speech at the very end which is very well written, well delivered too of course, and helps sum up the film pretty well.
2. Logan
Having only read a general Wikipedia summary of 'Old Man Logan', I'm glad we got here instead. There are flaws to the script of Logan, I'm not the biggest fan of X-24 being included in the third act, and the exposition needed to get us to that point felt a bit clumsy. I also think the inclusion of the other Transigen children, while it ends up working, diminishes some of the intimacy and tension built up by the limited focus in previous scenes. While there are reservations I have with the screenplay, however, I thought most of it was amazing. The choice to switch the roles of Logan and Professor X in the destruction of the X-Men was genius, as was the decision to show the Professor suffering from dementia and seizures that prove lethal to many. Its dialogue largely captures such a vibrant, lived-in tone, and even relatively minor characters like Donald Pierce and Caliban get their own moments to shine. The use of the X-Men universe is particularly interesting, and I particularly loved how it shows the X-Men comics are a staple of pop culture within this universe, as both a way of showing the divide between fiction and 'reality', as well as the X-Men as a symbol of hope. Best of all, though, is exploring the peculiar family dynamic between Professor X, Logan, and Laura, which makes what it builds up to both fascinating and emotionally potent.
1. The Disaster Artist
Well this is the only screenplay here which I've read the source material to - The Disaster Artist: My Life Inside The Room, The Greatest Bad Movie Ever is a cracking read by Greg Sestero & Tom Bissell, which gives such fascinating insight into the former's relationship with Tommy Wiseau, the making of the room, and the more general struggles of making it big in Hollywood, while even delving a little into the enigma of Wiseau and what makes him tick. The film technically simplifies a lot of elements from the autobiography. Sestero's initial disregard for The Room and reluctance to take part is brushed over. Some of Wiseau's nastier, more manipulative decisions are excised - his decision to replace one of the actors partway through without advance warning, his poor treatment of Juliette Daniel while still shown in the film is not shown in as much detail -, and the ending is changed from the slightly more cynical ending in the book, to the more inspirational, spiritually if not factually truthful ending about what The Room means to its fans. It also adds in some elements that feel more cinematic than truthful - Bryan Cranston's inclusion into the plot as a way of dramatizing Sestero needing to shave his beard.
Honestly, though, despite all these changes and notable exclusions, I think this is on the whole a pretty great screenplay. First and foremost, it sketches Greg and Tommy's friendship with great understanding and sensitivity. I appreciated how the film never loses the perspective of Greg Sestero, as opposed to trying to make everything about Tommy. Though it's technically a bit too kind on Wiseau for some of his worse tendencies, it does not hide from most of them, and shows the problematic dynamic between the two friends in an effective fashion. It manages to narrow down the rather broad scope of the book into exploring this friendship between the two, while bringing about the same amount of laughs and humour as the book, and building to a surprisingly heartfelt conclusion. Also, bonus points for Neustadter and Weber creating 'new dialouge' for Tommy that feels entirely natural coming off his tongue, without seeming like it's pandering to the fans. It's not as deep a screenplay as say, Ed Wood, but it's a fantastic screenplay in its own right.
Blade Runner 2049 – John Nelson, Gerd Nefzer, Paul Lambert and Richard R. Hoover
There are about 1,200 visual effects shots throughout Blade Runner 2049, from Weta Workshop-made practical minatures (entire mini-buildings were built), to CGI touch-ups to the environments, and the camera/computer effects in the creation of Ana de Armas' JOI, and in particular her syncing sequence. Oh, and a young Sean Young.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 – Christopher Townsend, Guy Williams, Jonathan Fawkner and Dan Sudick
The first Guardians of the Galaxy was most renowned for its CGI creations of Rocket Racoon and Groot, here the same tricks are played with the addition of Groot in baby form, with much work done on enhancing their facial expressions, body movements etc. And of course there's more of the usual in the way of different planets, space battles, space thingies.
Kong: Skull Island – Stephen Rosenbaum, Jeff White, Scott Benza and Mike Meinardus
Some mo-cap work that was apparently intended as a throwback to the 1930s Kong, while utilizing very 21st Century effects to bring it to life, as well as a series of strange big nasty creatures, lots of Apocalypse Now-esque explosions, and some aurora borealis for good measure.
Star Wars: The Last Jedi – Ben Morris, Mike Mulholland, Neal Scanlan and Chris Corbould
The usual Star Wars effects on this front: lightsabers, space battles, new little space critters the Porgs, those alien horses on the casino planet, and a more fully fleshed-out, detailed Snoke (mo-cap work by Andy Serkis once again).
War for the Planet of the Apes – Joe Letteri, Daniel Barrett, Dan Lemmon and Joel Whist
More mo-cap work by Andy Serkis in this, the final refinement of the whole process of the new Planet of the Apes trilogy - about 30 percent of the film was shot at Weta Digital studios, where cameras capture the movements/facial expressions of actors through multiple sensors across their bodies and faces.
Ranking the nominees,
5. Kong: Skull Island
I'd say this is once again a year with a few predictable, but strong choices. I'm not a huge fan of how the big ape looks here from a subjective perspective - I prefer the Peter Jackson version myself - but there's nothing wrong with it from an objective perspective. It's good, solid CGI on the whole which creates the intended effect of a pulpy blockbuster feel it's going for.
4. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
Effective work, though perhaps less impressive/innovative in contrast to the first film. I liked the new planets, I liked the effects used to make Kurt Russell godlike, and I particularly liked the stuff done with Baby Groot, but I'm not the biggest fan of the opening sequence, and there are a few moments which went a bit too cartoonish for my liking.
3. Star Wars: The Last Jedi
Solid work as usual, though the top 2 here are certainly in a different league. The film is largely quite visually stunning, apart from Canto Bright which while technically fine seems a bit at odds with the rest of the film's aesthetic tone. The rest of the effects are mostly pretty great. Snoke looks a great deal better in his final form, the battles on Crait are particularly well handled, the Porgs are convincing, and perhaps the most spectacular moment, the lightspeed crash scene, is great minimalist visual effects in action. Also, bonus points for striking a fine balance between the CGI Prequels Yoda and the OT puppet Yoda.
2. War for the Planet of the Apes
All that can be said for these effects is how impressively realized these apes now are, to the point that you believe them as real, living, breathing apes. Bonus points for the beautifully rendered Bad Ape (Steve Zahn) who is almost as immaculately expressive and well-rendered as Caesar himself.
1. Blade Runner 2049
Exquisite work on all fronts, most of what there is to talk about the beauty of the visuals I've covered with Deakins, so here I'll focus on what might be my favourite use of CGI in all of 2017. John Nelson, in an interview with Digital Trends (https://www.digitaltrends.com/movies/blade-runner-2049-visual-effects-john-nelson/) described how they utilized a different approach to the usual method of creating holograms in films, with the effect of 'the merge' created by recording de Armas and Mackenzie Davis' performances from different angles, and mapping them together through the 'volume' of the space the camera recorded their movements in, 'mapping' them onto a geometry surface and allowing the computers to play with them syncing in and out of one another without seeming like mirages. I don't really know how clear whatever I just wrote is, so just take a look at the above video to marvel at the extent of special effects work done here. It's mesmerizing how seamless the effects in this scene, as well as many other scenes, works.
Blade Runner 2049; Star Wars: The Last Jedi The Shape of Water; Dunkirk Baby Driver
The nominees for the sound categories at the Oscars this year are pretty interesting, in that they have the exact same films nominated for both editing, and mixing. Baby Driver
- Sound Editing: Julian Slater
Slater's been working with Edgar Wright on almost all of his past few films bar Hot Fuzz, as well as other Edgar Wright-related films (with Joe Cornish on Attack the Block, Nick Frost on Cuban Fury). He's been nominated for other awards in the past for his work on the likes of Shadow of the Vampire and Hilary and Jackie but this year brings about not one, but two first Oscar nominations for his work.
Julian Slater - sound editor for Baby Driver
- Sound Mixing: Mary H. Ellis, Julian Slater, Tim Cavagin Ellis started out in television and moved on to work in films as varied as Robocop 3 to Hidalgo to Zombieland and most recently, Prisoners and Goosebumps, the former which has some excellent sound mixing for its genre. This is also her first nomination in the category, as it is for Cavagin, the re-recording mixer (who essentially work in 'mixing' the dialogue, music and sounds together for the final soundtrack), of whose past filmography the likes of Senna, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and World War Z are particularly notable. Blade Runner 2049
- Sound Editing: Mark Mangini, Theo Green
Mark Mangini
Greene's previous work was largely as a composer, working with Rupert Wyatt, a director whose films always sound pretty good, on the likes of The Gambler and The Escapist before, and this is his first nomination as a sound designer. Mangini's reputation as a sound editor has been tremendous over the years, and this is his 5th Oscar nomination. He won for Mad Max: Fury Road a few years ago which is a great achievement in all things sound, often neglected in light of its tremendous visuals. - Sound Mixing: Mac Ruth, Ron Bartlett, Doug Hephill
L-R: Ron Bartlett, Denis Villeneuve, Joe Walker, Ben Wallfisch and Doug Hemphill. Credit: Clint Bennett
Bartlett was previously nominated for his work on Life of Pi (a great sounding film, no doubt, especially those animal noises merged with the soundtrack), and as a re-recording mixer has quite the background as a sci-fi/blockbuster stalwart. This is Ruth's third consecutive nomination, after The Martian and 13 Hours, and also did Atomic Blonde this year which, while I did not love, had impeccable sound mixing. As for Hephill, this is his 9th nomination - and looking down the list of his previous noms, he's had quite the career, from The Last of the Mohicans (a great underrated film he won for)to Air Force One to Life of Pi to Master and Commander, which probably would have won in any other year besides 2003 where Return of the King was sweeping the Oscars. Dunkirk
- Sound Editing: Alex Gibson, Richard King
Richard King, Hans Zimmer, Alex Gibson
King's another Master and Commander stalwart who won for the film back in 2003 (rightfully so), and has been collaborating with Christopher Nolan on multiple occasions, nominated for his work on The Dark Knight, Inception, and Interstellar. Gibson too has worked as a music editor on many of Nolan's previous productions, many other blockbusters, and acclaimed television work in the likes of John Adams. This is his first nomination. - Sound Mixing: Mark Weingarten, Gregg Landaker, Gary A. Rizzo
All these chaps have been nominated plenty of times previously, with special note to Landaker whose first nomination goes all the way back to 1980 for The Empire Strikes Back. This exact same team also collaborated on Interstellar which they got a nomination for. Rizzo and Weingarten actually competed against one another back in 2010 for Inception and The Social Network, respectively, which must've been a bloody difficult decision to make. The Shape of Water
- Sound Editing: Nathan Robitaille, Nelson Ferreira Just in case you didn't realize, the Academy loved The Shape of Water. Like, really, really loved it. This is the first nomination for both Robitaille and Ferreira. Looking at their respective filmographies, this is probably the most impressive project they've done yet (though Robiaille's work on action films like Death Race and Ferreira on Aronofsky's Black Swan and Requiem for a Dream are certainly not to be sniffed at). - Sound Mixing: Glen Gauthier, Christian Cooke, Brad Zoern Also first-time nominees all-around here. All three have had impressive bodies of work to this date, with Gauthier's work on Pacific Rim and Crimson Peak, Zoern's huge body of television work and Requiem for a Dream, and Cooke for his stellar contributions to David Cronenberg's recent filmography. Star Wars: The Last Jedi
- Sound Editing: Ren Klyce, Matthew Wood
Wood also got a nomination for his work on The Force Awakens and also worked on Rogue One, and his last two nominations - Wall-E and There Will Be Blood - make for quite the impressive back catalog, alongside his other work in the Star Wars franchise (also working on the Clone Wars series). Klyce is another one of this year's nominees who worked on The Social Network, in addition to several other David Fincher collaborations going all the way back to Fight Club, and the Netflix series Mindhunter and House of Cards, and the very first film he worked on was Se7en. Woah. - Sound Mixing: Stuart Wilson, Ren Klyce, David Parker, Michael Semanick Klyce is here again. Speaking of which, this is his 7th Oscar nomination, well done sir. Wilson and Parker worked together and were nominated for Rogue One, with Wilson having worked on all three of the new Star Wars films, getting nominated for Skyfall back in 2012 which was spectacular in terms of its sound design. Parker has won two Oscars for The English Patient, and The Bourne Ultimatum, of which the second is particularly deserving - the visuals in those Bourne films didn't always work for me but the use of sound certainly did. Semanick has worked on the Lord of the Rings trilogy (won the Oscar for Return of the King), the Hobbit trilogy, the Peter Jackson King Kong (won the Oscar for that), couple of Pixar movies (including Wall-E and Ratatouille which he was nominated for), a couple of David Fincher movies, some of Tim Burton's best films, the Twin Peaks film, just going down the list of films he's worked on is amazing. Well here's my ranking for the nominees.
For Sound Editing,
5. The Last Jedi
As always, the sound editing work on Star Wars is very good. I wouldn't say that it stood out as well as it did on Rogue One, but that's more to do with the nature of the story which isn't as focused on the space battles and spectacle, as it is on character interactions. The lightsaber sounds are as pleasant to listen to as always, there's nothing to fault with the laser beams, Chewbacca sounds like Chewbacca, all the creature noises are done well. I wouldn't say it's the most impressive work on Star Wars we've ever seen - the Original Trilogy may well have spoiled us - but it's good work.
4. Baby Driver
While I'm glad Edgar Wright films are finally getting awards attention, I do kind of wish it wasn't for my least favourite Edgar Wright film so far. Having said that, this is still a good, entertaining film, and it was appropriately nominated given that its sound, and editing are easily the strongest assets of the film. The sound editing here is very well done, though it's the way they are mixed which creates something truly special. Every gunshot, the revving of the engines, and the last act which I'm not that big a fan of, are all amplified by the excellent work on the sounds, and it made the action scenes compelling even when I didn't find the story itself all that engaging.
3. The Shape of Water
The main praise in this regard has to go to the fishman noises made, which seem just right for the fishman created by the visuals. Those sounds are of course the highlights, but everything else is touched upon to perfection, from the sound of water to the sound of the electrocutions, to some of the more grisly sound effects (again, you might want to stay away from the film if you love cats). Impeccable work. The following link - http://soundworkscollection.com/news/the-sound-of-the-shape-of-waterWARNING: NSFW if you love CATS- just shows the sheer detail that goes into every step of the sound editing and mixing process, from the dialogue, to the creature sound effects, to the background sound, in creating the tone of the scene, and driving forward the narrative. Same goes for just about every film, but I thought this link could probably explain better than me how important the process is. Also a very interesting podcast can be found here, featuring the artists below.
2. Blade Runner 2049
Perhaps my slight reservations towards The Last Jedi and the sound editing is the stellar work in Blade Runner here. Like the new Star Wars films it takes the existing sound effects that we know and love from the sci-fi genre but takes a new spin onto them. I have particular affection for the sound editing in the opening fight, the rain scene, the sound emitted whenever JOI appears/has to be shut down, the sex syncing scene. And in the action scenes, I thought they managed to capture each bone-crunching kick and punch with particularly vivid detail, though for me the standout moment was that absolutely devastating destruction of what was essentially a USB (context required for why it hit me that hard).
1. Dunkirk
Great as the sound editing on Blade Runner 2049 is, my choice has to go to Dunkirk, in what might be the best sound editing on any Christopher Nolan film yet, which is saying something. Its a requisite for a war film to have good sound effects, and here every fired gunshot, every spitfire engine roar, scream, is realized in a haunting, viscreal and utterly immersive fashion. As it moves from the skies to the sands to the seas, the sound editing, utilizing recordings of boats, planes, and waters to create such an incredible audio experience. Even in the quieter, 'silent' moments, the sound of sand blowing on the beaches, or the final sputtering of Farrier's (Tom Hardy) plane when his job's been done, creates such an incredible effect.
For Sound Mixing,
5. Dunkirk
Another great lineup, I'm putting this last essentially because you can't quite hear the dialogue properly over some of the sound mixing. This really is a nitpick, and even perhaps intentional by the team, but it's a nitpick that makes me put it last among these strong nominees, though I won't mind if it wins because it's almost uniformly great work, just not Hacksaw Ridge levels of perfection IMO.
4. The Shape of Water
Also very stellar, low-key work, particularly in how it makes the creature's noises always be heard over the background noises and never allowing one to overshadow the other, and I thought the dialogue here was particularly crisp-sounding, and of course the sound of the water that courses throughout the film as a recurring motif is great.
3. The Last Jedi
I'd consider this pretty spectacular work on many fronts, particularly in the key scenes, for example the battle with Snoke's guards I felt blended the score, the lightsaber sounds, and the background noises to particularly striking effect. Even in the weaker scenes, like the casino planet, the sound mixing was never at fault, though Rey's journey to the underground 'lair' where she discovers her past was a bit underwhelming in a storytelling context it was amazing in terms of the sound mixing design, and the final confrontation between Kylo Ren and Luke blended all the sounds together perfectly. Incredible work.
2. Baby Driver
The highlight of the film, and honestly given how bare-bones and overly simplistic the story and characters were I think Baby Driver would have worked best as an experimental, dialogue-free film where the storytelling is done entirely through the sound mixing alone. The integration of Baby's music playlist with his surroundings is incredible, particularly in the 'Tequila' scenes where the gunshots co-ordinate with the beats on the song, any of the driving scenes where the revving of the engines fit in perfectly with whatever songs are playing. Sound mixing has always been a highlight of Wright's films and here it's taken to the next level, shame the rest of the film is a bit underwhelming but the sound mixing here is perhaps the best of any film he's done.
1. Blade Runner 2049
Masterful work. I'll just leave two of the film's best examples of sound mixing here and let you admire the perfection of every little detail in the sound mixing department, one more overt, two more subtle examples.
It's an interesting year for the best cinematography category. With the shadow of Roger Deakins for Blade Runner 2049looming over the rest of the nominees, even though his competition are certainly no slouches.
This is the master of the still painting's 14th Oscar nomination - and the narrative here is all about him being 'overdue' for a win. I couldn't agree more, though I should note that all the previous times he's been beaten, the winner has been a worthy one (case in point: his fantastic work on both No Country for Old Men and The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford came in the same year as There Will Be Blood). He comes in with equal parts reputation and acclaim for his 2017 work, not unlike Gary Oldman in the Best Actor category, and it makes their wins for their respective films seem almost certainty.
Deakins and Bruno Delbonnel for Darkest Hour are the 'awards veterans' of the lot. Delbonnel's nomination may seem to be a surprise in context of awards season on the whole, as Delbonnel has only received a few awards noms and critics citations, and of the significant precursors only the BAFTAs, which usually favours British period pieces like Darkest Hour anyway. In context of the Oscar nominations though, the Academy clearly adored the film, with 6 nominations, and thus the cinematography nomination comes less of a surprise when you take into account its success in other areas. Delbonnel has previously been nominated for his work on the Harry Potter films, his collaborations with Jean-Pierre Jeunet on Amelie and A Very Long Engagement, and one of my top ten films of all-time Inside Llewyn Davis which is just stunning to look at in every regard, and I don't think gets enough praise for that.
The rest of the nominees are Oscar newbies. Hoyte van Hoytema, nominated for Dunkirk, had collaborated with Christopher Nolan previously on Interstellar, as well as other high-profile projects like Tinker Tailor Solider Spy and the original Let the Right One In which was presumably what put him on Hollywood's radar. It was always a guaranteed nomination, given Dunkirk's universal acclaim and its cinematography being one of, if not the, most widely praised elements. I don't think it'll win, but I'd put my money on it coming second out of the voting lots.
Rachel Morrison's nomination for Mudbound makes this not only her personal first Oscar nomination, but also the first ever female cinematographer ever to be nominated in the category. Good stuff, Academy. Morrison's work has up till this point been focused largely on the indie/small-budget film scene, her most prominent work being in Ryan Coogler's Fruitvale Station which was a pretty well-shot film, and was close to getting awards traction that year. Here thanks to the success of Mudbound (surprisingly given its Netflix roots), she's carried over several nods throughout awards season to a nomination here. Her next project, by the way is Black Panther with Coogler - pretty big leap, in terms of scale at least, from any of her previous work.
(skip from the minute mark to 1:30 for the clip above, by the way, if you haven't seen the film) Also receiving his first nomination is frequent Guillermo del Toro collaborator Dan Laustsen, nominated for The Shape of Water. Past few years he's been doing stuff like Crimson Peak, and John Wick 2 this year, he also did Silent Hill a while back which I'll probably never watch, but anyway he's got a solid reputation. Definitely the cinematographer here I know the least about on the whole though, and I have to say I'm glad that so many relative 'unknowns' are getting nominated this year (though none of them are newbies by any means - you don't get many Timothee Chalamets in this category).
I should also note that there don't seem to be any real 'snubs' this year among the films in contention, at least in terms of the films I've seen, though many a Phantom Thread fan seems to have expressed disappointment at the mysterious Keyser Soze-esque DP of the film being snubbed due to some strange Academy rules (I'll get onto that more at some point).
Ranking the nominees -
5. Darkest Hour
Very strong set of nominees here. Delbonnel is kind of the 'weak link' here, mostly because I think Darkest Hour, despite being a very strong film on the whole, suffers a bit from some directorial and stylistic excesses from Joe Wright, and some of that passes on to the cinematography. The use of dim, musky lighting works well for some scenes, like Churchill's meetings with the war cabinet, and I love the one striking shot of him on the phone to Roosevelt in a cubicle where it perfectly shows the dark, solitary state Churchill and England find themselves in. It does feel a bit odd though in the scenes where Churchill is just shooting the breeze with his wife, or particularly when he's meeting with the king. I did like his work on the whole, though it might not always seem appropriate it adds well to the tense atmosphere, and when it achieves its intended effect it's quite great, although like many of the other technical elements of the film, it is not quite the standout.
4. Mudbound
Beautiful period work as well. Morrison's work here is quite straightforward, but in a very good way, and I'd say those shots of Mississippi fields are beautiful works of art in themselves. The camerawork in terms of movement is not the most daring, nor did it need to be, and Morrison does well to make it fit well with, if not necessarily amplify, the performances and screenplay which is the main focus of the film, and are more of a mixed bag than the lens that films them. The cinematography work here is largely immaculate, if not quite as innovative as the above three, but it most importantly never seems to show off for the sake of showing off. It's at its strongest with the panning shots and establishing shots, and less so in the more intimate scenes, but very stellar work that is the most consistent part of the film.
3. The Shape of Water
Like Morrison, very beautiful and immaculately 'pretty' work that captures del Toro's fairytale tone perfectly. What puts his work a few steps further is just how much his work helps to amplify the story. This is a story that is heavily reliant upon its visuals, given that its two principal characters are a mute janitor and a fishman, and though there are other technical elements which contribute to that, the cinematography is an essential part of making this tale come to life. There is the period detail to 1960s Baltimore which is perfection, as it feels very much of its time and yet also with a touch of something different, something magical. I particularly love the lighting he uses in the cafe scenes, and the scenes at the government facility. The use of colour is amazing, with the use of green and blue for of course, water, but also many other things, to create this otherwordly feeling, yet very much ingrained in the 'real world' of the film, and the harsher colours of red and grey which provided the perfect juxtaposition. Just as icing on the cake, the camerawork is also great, with particular highlights being the 'silent film' sequence, the tense scenes of getting the fishman out of captivity, and of course the beautiful opening and closing shots where we are transported into the depths of the water.
2. Dunkirk
Dunkirk and Hacksaw Ridge are two of my favourite films of the decade, and also two of my favourite war films of all-time. I mention this because stylistically they are so, so very different, with Hacksaw deliberately focusing on the grim, grimy and goriest parts of warfare while Dunkirk is less bloody, but no less viscreal in its portrayal of violence. Now while Hacksaw bests Dunkirk in several regards for me, Dunkirk's cinematography quite easily blows it out of the water. The main difference here I'd say is that Hoytema's grander scope allows him to compose a portrait of war like few seen before. He works in perfect co-ordination with Nolan's vision of what is effectively a silent film in spirit - with a lot of noise -, and the particular standouts here are those magnificent dogfights in the sky, which are perhaps the highlights of the film. Hoytema grants such an incredible beauty to these shots, without losing the intensity of the motion, and I have particular affection for how he juxtaposes the long-distance shots of the planes engaging in battle with the claustraphobic close-ups of the pilots' faces.
Then there's the rest of the film where he captures the intensity of being underwater, being surrounded by fire, and those beach scenes where finds that grand scale of the beaches and the horizon, while also honing in on the emotions of the soldiers. I loved every second of his work, where he creates a real feeling for the grim predicament of the soldiers on the beach, the careful and precise use of lighting in the nighttime scenes, the ending scenes of the film where it captures that bittersweet feeling of survival at a huge cost, and that beautiful scene of a burning plane (which if you haven't seen the film, just showing a picture of it will compel you to). Undoubtedly one of the highlights of this decade in terms of cinematography, and you could probably make an argument for it being the best shot war film that's not The Thin Red Line.
1. Blade Runner 2049
Though Dunkirk is incredibly well shot, I give the first place out of the nominees to Roger Deakins without a moment's hesitation. I had more than a few quibbles with Blade Runner 2049 the first time I watched it, having re-watched it twice since, some of them remain, but on the whole I've come to like the film a great deal. One aspect of the film I loved from the very first viewing, though, was Deakins' work. It is first and foremost an absolutely stunning work of art in the most basic sense, in that every frame - and by that I mean every frame - is beautiful to look at. The original Blade Runner was so iconic in influencing the neo-noir aesthetic of so many subsequent films, and here Deakins takes that influence, while adding several touches of his own to make 2049 very much a successor to the original, while carving out its own path. He's stated in interview that he didn't try and emulate Jordan Cronenweth’s work in the original film, but rather tried to pay homage to it in his own way, while fitting the aesthetic to suit Denis Villeneuve's direction, and it's a complete success.
For the interior shots, Deakins' strategic use of lighting is just incredible. Though I'm not a fan of most scenes in Wallace's (Jared Leto) lair, the blend of shadows and selective light works perfectly for the purposes of the film. I also love the little touches he adds into scenes that could've been otherwise quite routine, like the opening fight between K (Ryan Gosling) and Sapper Morton (Dave Bautista) where a little shudder of the camera shows the offscreen impact of Morton's body hitting the ground, or the cellar scene where K discovers a remnant of his 'past' where in such darkness Deakins creates such a nightmarish sequence. Then there's the more overtly beautiful shots, where in the kinetic Chinatown sequences, to the desolate Las Vegas landscape and perhaps most stunning, Dekkard's (Harrison Ford) little Elvis Presley hideout, the motion of colours, the slow and deliberate pans of the camera, are all spectacular. Even the final water-based fight, which I'm not the biggest fan of, is incredibly well shot, down to the subtle and clever uses of the dutch angle to create that disorientating atmosphere. Every frame is a painting here in Blade Runner 2049 and I'd say it's quite easily one of the best-shot films of this decade - no hyperbole.
Well here we are again: Oscar season has officially arrived. I usually do an overall breakdown of the various categories in a big post, but seeing as there's plenty I still have to see - with Phantom Thread, Lady Bird, I, Tonya and wait, what Roman Israel Esq.? - I need to check out before I can comment on which films did or did not deserve their respective nominations, which one comes out on top, which film will win and all that, in every category. I'll start off with the categories which I am a 'completist' of, having seen all the nominees, starting with - Best Supporting Actor. First I'll talk a bit about the nominees' awards season narratives, then I'll discuss their performances in more detail - ranking them alongside one another. I might/might not do the former for every category - for example, it's hard to discuss a narrative for Roger Deakins winning for Blade Runner 2049 beyond 'about damn time' -, but I will definitely do a ranking for every Oscar category and its nominations, assuming that I will be able to get to all of the films before 4th March.
Willem Dafoe, The Florida Project; Woody Harrelson and Sam Rockwell, Three Billboards
Richard Jenkins, The Shape of Water; Christopher Plummer, All the Money in the World
The nominees were:
Willem Dafoe. The Florida Project
Dafoe, who's been nominated twice before for his performances in Platoon and Shadow of the Vampire as two very different characters, started off the awards season as almost the unquestioned front-runner; like Gary Oldman, the great character actor veteran who disappears effortlessly into every role he's given. While he's picked up a great deal of goodwill, from the critics awards in particular, his top dog status has been usurped for the time-being by Sam Rockwell, with the latter's wins at SAG and the Golden Globes. Still, a nomination here was never in question, even though awards traction for The Florida Project has been somewhat underwhelming, with Dafoe being the film's sole Oscar nomination. I have less to say about his awards narrative than the other nominees here because really, this is the sort of performance by the sort of actor that was always going to get attention at the Oscars, and most of what I'll want to discuss will be with regards to the performance itself. Woody Harrelson and Sam Rockwell, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
I can't remember the last time two supporting actors from the same film were nominated. I believe Nocturnal Animals came close last year, and this year there was the potential for this combination for not only Three Billboards, but also Call Me By Your Name with the two-headed dragon of Armie Hammer and Michael Stuhlbarg, and even Jenkins and Academy darling Michael Shannon for The Shape of Water. In the end, neither of these combinations were nominated, with Hammer's chances possibly hurt by splitting votes with Stuhlbarg, and Stuhlbarg's chances hurt by not getting enough precursors to pave his way to a nomination, while Shannon just wasn't included in any of the precursors at all, with Jenkins getting all the awards attention.
This is Harrelson's second nomination in the Supporting category after his solid turn as another authority figure in The Messenger, and his third nomination overall, having been also nommed for his portrayal of the titular porn mogul in The People vs Larry Flynt. As for Rockwell, making his debut entry onto the Academy's shortlist, his name has been bandied around over the years as a dark horse Oscar contender, notably back in 2010 for Conviction, but this is the first time he's been genuinely considered to be a powerhorse contender all throughout awards season. The hype began early last year with raves from festival screenings, which only intensified with its wide release in cinemas. Having won the two biggest precursors to the Oscars so far, it seems he's close to having the award in the bag. Harrelson's presence on the awards season began slowly, but as love for Three Billboards intensified so did the attention to his performance, and though he missed out at the Globes, nominations at SAG, the BAFTAs, and Three Billboards winning Best Ensemble at SAG, plus the Academy's general liking for him, contributed to his nod. Richard Jenkins, The Shape of Water
Jenkins is an interesting case of the supporting performance in a widely acclaimed film, sort of riding the momentum of its praise and garnering enough love from the awards organizations to make it into the Oscars. Earlier on last year I'd imagined this 'spot to be taken by Ben Mendelsohn in Darkest Hour, Mark Rylance in Dunkirk, Idris Elba in Molly's Game, Jason Mitchell in Mudbound, Steve Carell in either Battle of the Sexes or Last Flag Flying, or Will Poulter in Detroit. Mendelsohn and Rylance's films have performed well at the Oscars but their performances, while praised, haven't been highlighted by their awards campaign, so that was expected. Elba's film did not achieve the sort of momentum that I'd expected for an Aaron Sorkin, and while Mudbound has done well for itself Michell's performance has become strangely sidelined in terms of praise, while both Carell's films have underperformed with both critical acclaim and awards success. And then there's Poulter who some were pegging as a dark horse winner midway through last year but has been entirely shut out this awards season, largely because there's another portrayal of a racist cop which has been getting the majority of plaudits, and also Detroit has had absolutely no success on the awards front.
As for Jenkins, this is actually his second Oscar nomination, he was nominated in the lead category in 2008 for The Visitor, which is interesting to note since he's known primarily for his supporting roles in stuff like Bone Tomahawk, Killing Me Softly, oh yeah, and Step Brothers which he's a hoot in. Christopher Plummer, All the Money in the World
And finally, we have Not Kevin Spacey in one of the more fascinating narratives going through awards season. As you all know, allegations against Spacey (and I must say, his piss-poor attempt at an 'apology') resulted in quite the Hollywood clusterfuck. Edgar Wright's Baby Driver managed to avoid this, but many projects involving Spacey were put on hold or altogether cancelled. Spacey had filmed his role in All the Money in the World as J. Paul Getty, with the studio lining him up for his own Best Supporting Actor campaign. Grumpy Ridley Scott decided not to let the Spacey controversy waste the hard work of his cast and crew and decided to in the span of 9 days, to reshoot Spacey's scenes with the alleged first choice, Christopher Plummer.
I'm mentioning this whole narrative again because I'd prefer not to discuss it in context of the performance itself. Of course it played its part in getting Plummer the attention he needed for a nomination, but I hope people won't just assume this is a wasted nomination. This is Plummer's third nomination, he was nominated for The Last Station in 2009 and very deservedly won in 2011 for Beginners. I don't think he cares all that much about getting nominated or winning here, he didn't actively campaign for this performance as far as I'm aware, but I'd just like to take this opportunity to give a shout out to his dedication in taking on the role in such a short span of time, and of course the rest of the cast and crew for being equally efficient. What about his performance as, at one point, the 'richest man in the world'? Let's see.
Anyway, without further ado, my ranking of the 2017 nominees for Best Supporting Actor (I'll try to avoid spoilers, but I'll signpost them if they appear):
5. Christopher Plummer as J. Paul Getty in All the Money in the World
This is a very strong lineup, and I hate to put Plummer last because this is a very impressive performance. Plummer the elder plays a somewhat antagonistic role in the film even though he's technically on the victim's side when his grandson, John Paul Getty III (Charlie Plummer) is kidnapped. The film itself I found a bit routine as a standard thriller, but what does enliven it a bit is the way it utilizes J. Paul Getty's character. The conflict between Gail (Michelle Williams), Paul's mother who's estranged from the Getty family, and Getty who refuses to pay the ransom despite having (yes) all the money in the world is the most intriguing part of the film. Plummer the elder is a great Scrooge McDuck of sorts, but a Scrooge McDuck one is easily in awe of as Plummer carries such a strong domineering presence. He plays the man's miserly nature just enough to be very entertaining, and I particularly love his amiable delivery of 'nothing' when asked how much he will pay for the ransom, the flashback scene where he dictates letters to a younger Paul, bluntly denying the requests of acquaintances for money, and especially his big scene where he negotiates terms for the ransom.
Plummer also finds a nuance to his character, where the audience can understand and even somewhat sympathize with why he refuses to put the lives of his other grandchildren at risk, and the scenes where he eloquently explains why he refuses to pay the ransom are infused with such surprising warmth, that it's easy to be taken aback when his more cruel, baser instincts are revealed in the scenes where his beliefs are directly attacked. Plummer even helps raise the level of Wahlberg's performance in the scenes they share together, particularly their final confrontation, and though his character's final few scenes are not very well directed by Scott, he does more than an admirable job in them. A very good performance and I'm glad we got the chance to see it.
4. Richard Jenkins as Giles in The Shape of Water
A performance that's really grown on me, the more I think about the film. The Shape of Water is of course, in many ways the Guillermo del Toro and Sally Hawkins show, more about that at a later point. It is a visually stunning and emotionally rich film, and the aforementioned two are the primary reason for that alongside the array of technical elements it excels in, but that isn't to say the rest of the cast don't get a chance to shine. I'll discuss Octavia Spencer at a later date, but the Michaels, Stuhlbarg and Shannon, are both very good as sort of the standard sort of characters in this sort of fantasy film - sympathetic scientist and nasty government agent -, playing into their usual 'types' rather well. Jenkins' performance, though, is my favourite supporting performance in the film, the closeted homosexual artist neighbour and best friend of mute janitor Elisa (Hawkins) who witnesses her strange, unique relationship with the strange humanoid amphibian played by Doug Jones blossom. Jenkins stands out so well with a character who could've been entirely forgettable, or worse a lame caricature. The idea of the gay best friend may have been done many times before, but Jenkins makes it feel very fresh, as he makes Giles feel so perfectly attuned to the 1960s setting. He doesn't overdo the usual tics and mannerisms for a homosexual character, and most importantly makes them feel very natural to who Giles is: an erudite, slightly crass, earnest fellow with a love for the arts, and nostalgia for the past.
Jenkins is utilized for many things in the film, and fulfills each of them perfectly. He's an effective comic relief - I particularly his deadpan reaction to one of his cats after a particularly unpleasant experience -, but also such a heartbreaking presence in the scenes where he deals with failures in his professional and love life, and his gentle, heartfelt narration helps bookend the film beautifully. Of course, the most important part of his performance is his chemistry with Sally Hawkins, which is just thoroughly amazing, as the dynamic, between the talkative man who doesn't always have to courage to act, and the mute woman who is determined to do the right thing. Jenkins gives a lovely performance with a 'supportive' character in the best possible sense.
3. Woody Harrelson as Chief Bill Willoughby in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
To discuss what exactly makes this performance great, spoilers are definitely required, and if you haven't seen the film and are still reading, well go on then.
Harrelson's Willougby comes into conflict with Mildred Hayes (Frances McDormand) over the three billboards she's rented outside (you guessed it) Ebbing, Missouri, calling out the police department for making no progress in investigating the rape and murder of her teenage daughter. His performance is one I appreciated the first time I watched the film, but on re-watch (upon which I loved the film even more), I noticed many things I didn't pick up the first time round that make this a rather amazing performance, despite the somewhat unconventional way Willloughby is used in the film. Harrelson's depiction of the small town sheriff starts off as a strict but fair authority figure who loves his family and berates the often incompetent officers, carrying the right sort of command in his performance, evident in the scenes where he interrogates people about the billboards or visits Mildred in attempt to reason with her about the billboards.
SPOILERS
What I really love about this performance is how it is equal parts a great comedic and dramatic performance. He's such a great straight man to Frances McDormand as almost in awe of her extreme antics, while seguing so effectively into his more tender scenes as he shows the fragile side of Willougby, who has pancreatic cancer, and is haunted by his inability to find the killer of her daughter. With his fellow police officers he adds so much to their humorous bickering, and I have particular affection for his impressed reaction to Dixon's comebacks, while also finding a real warmth and charm in his affection for them, that makes sense of why the townspeople love him so much. His performance builds up to some truly powerful, often silent moments as we watch Willoughby struggle with his love for his family and his desire not to see them suffer, and his sudden exit from the film is particularly powerful. Harrelson gives a fantastic performance here, where he manages to make scenes with his somewhat underwhelming onscreen wife Abbie Cornish rather affecting, and develops the status and depth of his small town sheriff so incredibly well in his short screentime - although the character comes into play once again later on.
2. Willem Dafoe as Bobby in The Florida Project
I think it's testament to an actor's incredible talent how he can play Bobby Peru from Wild at Heart so brilliantly, and here play this very, very different Bobby with such aplomb. How can I describe Dafoe's Bobby? He's the manager of the Florida motel where young protagonist Moonee (Brooklynn Prince) and her mother Halley (Bria Vinaite) live, and the shining ray of positivity and warmth in The Florida Project, easily the most lovable and likable character out of this lot. As the sort of surrogate father figure to the kids in the apartment complex, he's simply delightful, whether it is him playing along with their silly games, and every one of his faces of lighthearted exasperation adds so much to the film. There are also the more serious scenes like his confrontation with an unpleasant, predatory figure lurking around the motel. Dafoe is particularly amazing in this scene as he brings such an incisiveness to Bobby that's quite crowd-pleasing in a way without feeling inappropriate, as he shows the innate goodness of the man manifests itself in always doing the right thing to the best of his abilities. He manages to make a simple scene of him turning the central power back on seem like a gladiator winning a fight in the arena, as Dafoe brings such a streak of lovable, entertaining goodwill as the compassionate 'king' of the motel. He even gets a scene all to himself to show off his more overt comedic chops, (improvised on the day) where he escorts a flock of fowls away from the motel that's just comic gold.
Dafoe though, does not use his character's positivity as an excuse to make his character simplistic. He brings the right sort of complexity to his character in the scenes where he interacts with his estranged son as he suggests a more troubled past for Bobby, that implies why his kindness and generosity might be some sort of way to make up for the past. He's fantastic too, in showing his troubled dynamic with his tenants Moonee and Hailee, and is particularly great in his scenes with Bria Vinaite where he shows the struggle between showing her compassion and helping her, and knowing that she is a terrible mother. I know some take issue with how the film concludes his character's arc, but I think it's brilliant personally, as it only humanizes Bobby without taking away from his endearing kindness. Dafoe gives a sensational performance as the epitome of tough kindness without ever descending into sentimentality or caricature, and it's definitely one of my favourite performances of his.
1. Sam Rockwell as Officer Jason Dixon in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Rockwell's Dixon is for lack of a better word, an idiot, and I wouldn't say this is an element of the character that really changes throughout the film, at least not in the usual sense. One of the biggest debates surrounding Three Billboards is Dixon's character, and the extent to which the audience can accept his arc of 'redemption' and 'change' throughout the narrative. I understand completely if one finds issue with the writing or performance of the character, but for me the character entirely works for the purposes of the narrative. For me however, this performance and character is not one of any drastic change or development, but rather a character who in many ways stays the same, but reflects on himself, and begins to direct himself towards a change and development in his outlook on life.
As he was in his previous collaboration with Martin McDonagh, Rockwell is effortlessly entertaining as the deadbeat loser cop who more often than not acts before he thinks. The thickness of his accent and the slur he does to suggest the not-too-bright nature of Dixon might take some getting used to, but it's absolutely perfect for the character, particularly in the scenes where he's sparring with Caleb Landry Jones' Red Welby as the two engage in a battle of witlessness. Rockwell is hilarious as this dumbass who spends more time reading comic books than actually doing police work, who acts like a tough hardened cop at the bar but who also has a midnight curfew. He does well though, to also allude to the more troubling side of the character, where his manchild tendencies often result in him threatening people with violence, and whose every movement seems to suggest a dark past haunting him from within. An aspect of the character that has received scrutiny is how his racism is brushed over, I don't think it is, the film acknowledges he's a bigot - hilariously dealt with in the scene he tries to accuse Mildred of using racist terminology - and that he might have tortured people on account of their race, but I don't think it ever tries to justify it. It's just a part of his character that's quite despicable, but which the town itself sort of brushes over due to them respecting the police department and Sheriff Willoughby.
In the first half of the film, Rockwell has plenty of screentime but is not actually the primary focus, with the main scope on the dynamic between Mildred and Willougby. Rockwell to his credit remains an engaging presence, and his scenes with both McDormand and Harrelson are consistently great, from his attempts at intimidating Mildred to remove the billboards, to his ill-informed attempts to defend his beloved boss' honour. Where Rockwell really begins to shine though is
SPOILERS
When Willoughby commits suicide. Rockwell depicts the grief and anger in Dixon in a truly stunning fashion as Dixon goes on a rampage of violence, beautifully directed by McDonagh to be sure, but it's his incredible almost silent depiction of his character's messed up mentality where he can only cope with his grief through violence. This would seem to suggest his character only taking a turn for the worse, but the film doesn't quite go in that direction. What happens next with Dixon is daring, as he almost becomes co-lead to Mildred/McDormand's story, and whether or not you buy into it is essential to either loving or hating the film. For me personally I bought it completely. Dixon faces the repercussions of his actions, which leads to the best scene of the film, and perhaps the most moving scene I've seen all year, where Dixon finally decides to do the right thing. I'll not say more, even with the spoiler tag I feel like words can only do so much in conveying how incredible the scenes involving Rockwell are in the second half of the film. There's forgiveness, there's pain, there's anguish, there's a sort of victory and crushing defeat, and above all a portrayal of a man who realizes what a horrible human being he's been, and seeks some form of not necessarily redemption, but a way to make things work for the better, however slightly. I don't think you even need to sympathize with the character to feel invested in the journey his character takes. I absolutely loved Rockwell's hilarious, heartbreaking and brilliant performance that for me, is easily his career-best.
In contrast to previous years, I'll be continuing on with covering the Oscar nominees, just to give me more time to watch more 2017 films before making my final big lists of the 'Best Of 2017', including the Best Supporting Actor category. If you've all got any recommendations for performances I might highlight in my post for 'Best Supporting Actor 2017', list them out below whether I've seen them or not - and see if they can crack my top 10!!
