This blog post is about the 2018 Academy Awards nominees and my Think, Laugh, Cry method for reviewing them.
Warning: Major Spoilers
Have you ever had this conversation?
You: Did you see that movie last night?
Other Person: Yes I did!
You: How was it? Did you like it?
Other Person: It was okay. It was interesting, but the plot was confusing. I didn’t like the acting, but I’d watch it again.
Of course you have, it’s that conversation that seems to create more questions than answers. It doesn't help you decide whether it is worth seeing in theaters, renting off Amazon or skipping altogether. It certainly does not help you decide if it will win an Academy Award. Everyone has there own way of judging movies. I have one friend who does not enjoy sad films and one that loves them all. I have learned to consider the source when asking for recommendations. As should you.
I graduated from the University of Pittsburgh with a bachelor's degree in Film Analysis. Essentially, I spent four years watching, discussing, and writing papers about movies and television. Since I took the time to rack up thousands of dollars in school loans I guess I feel entitled to share my opinion.
My plan here is to review the Academy Award nominated films for best picture using my Think, Laugh, Cry method (TLC) and to predict which film may win. I don't believe this method would have worked fifty years ago. Over time, what constitutes best picture has changed as our world has changed. My feeling is that with movies like Birdman, Spotlight, and Moonlight winning best picture, we have found ourselves in a transition. Read here about how last year the Academy invited more members into its organization in the hopes of a more diverse group of people judging today's top films. My theory is that if you apply Think, Laugh, Cry to these movies, you can have a better understanding as to why today some movies win awards and why others do not.
In my opinion, todays best films are the ones that tell unique and entertaining stories and tell them well. If a film can make you think, laugh and cry then it has higher probability of being nominated for an award (hence how this method was created). It is not perfect, but it does take a realistic and easy-to-apply approach to assessing whether or not I’ve enjoyed a movie. Simple as that.
Some of you may be able to see this system's imperfections right away. What if your not a crier at movies? What exactly do I mean by “think”? Well I’d answer that by saying; 1. You are missing out, a good cry is amazing and 2. just try to use your best judgement. Think can mean anything from questioning your existence in the universe to making you sympathize with a character’s difficult situation.
So to get right into it, heres how it works.
When you’ve finished watching a film you simply ask yourself if it made you think, made you laugh and/or made you cry and to what degree. When I’m torn about one of those three, I may give a film a half laugh or a half cry. You get the idea. So, if a film made you think, laugh and cry then it is a strong film. See the bottom of this blog for my ranking of the best picture nominees based on this system.
In my experience, watching the Academy Awards can be confusing. Why is one film nominated and others are not? I will speculate in this blog, but I will not presume to know for a fact the inner workings of Hollywood politics. I will not use this blog to explain the process of submitting a film for consideration and the requirements of such. Both often play a role in a film being nominated. If you are interested in that feel free to read about it here.
I hope you enjoy this blog. I'd love to hear your opinion on these films. Feel free to comment below.
Best Picture Nominations - 2018
(In the order I watched them)
- Get Out (Think, Laugh)
- Dunkirk (Think, Cry)
- The Shape of Water (Think, Laugh, Cry)
- Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri (Think, Laugh, Cry)
- Lady Bird (1/2 Think, 1/2 Laugh, 1/2 Cry)
- Phantom Thread (1/2 Think)
- Darkest Hour (1/2 Think)
- The Post (Think, 1/2 Cry)
- Call Me by Your Name (Think, Cry)
Get Out (Think, Laugh)
TLC Method: As a white female, I had a lot of thoughts about this one. I thought about the deer metaphor and the sunken place. I thought about the way I speak to black people and how the dialogue between Rose's father and Chris was something I've heard before. "It's not what he says, it's how he says it" - Chris Washington (Daniel Kaluuya). I laughed a lot in this film. LilRel Howery's character Rod was both the comedic relief and a voice of truth and friendship. I did not cry, because by the end I was not sad to see certain characters die. In fact, by the end, a lot of the theater was cheering.
Review: I saw this last February (2017) in theaters in West Philadelphia and again on RedBox in October.
This was one of my favorite films of the year. I know this because I have convinced several people in my life to see it and have talked about it with friends and family. It has it all; action, romance, jump scares, and a thought provoking message. It was so clearly well planned and executed down to the last deer reference. Going into the theater, I was under the impression that it was a horror film and so I was actually very surprised at how funny it was. Though I should not have been since Jordan Peele (of Key and Peele) is hysterical and both wrote and directed this film. I highly recommend googling "Things I missed while watching Get Out" after seeing the film, it will not disappoint. Both Jordan and Guillermo del Toro (The Shape of Water) are nominated for best director and best original screenplay. It doesn't matter to me who wins which one, but I hope they are each rewarded for their films. I don't think however this one will win best picture. I wouldn't be upset if it did, but I'm not sure the Academy will reward this non-genre conforming film with an Oscar. I can tell you one thing, college students will be writing papers on this film for years to come.
Dunkirk (Think, Cry)
TLC Method: I thought a lot about the choices people must make during times of war and about survival. Would I have survived? Would I have crumbled under the stress? I teared up when George was hurt and eventually when Peter had George's name and picture put in the paper. I cried a little at the end when they realized they'd be greeted with praise and not anger. It did not make me laugh; it did not try to make me laugh.
Review:
When this film ended I certainly needed to take a deep breath. As far as war films go, it was one of the better ones. It felt realistic in its limited dialogue. It was dark and gritty. It made no effort to glorify war, which many war films do either purposefully or subconsciously. The cinematography was absolutely beautiful and while this blog is about the best picture category, I would bet on this one winning best cinematography. Christopher Nolan, as the film's director, did a beautiful job attempting to re-create this moment in history. All of that being said, I did have several issues with the film. I struggle to see why this was nominated for best editing. The timeline was confusing. My interpretation was that they tried to use the editing trope where you as the viewer don't realize how everyone is connected until the end. This is not a bad technique, I just thought the execution in this film was poor. My first question after finishing the film was how long was Farrier (Tom Hardy) flying? After reading a synopsis or two I realized the editor tried to make this clear by including time under each of the titles you saw during the film ("The Mole: One Week", "The Sea: One Day", "The Air: One Hour"). I'm only human, so maybe I blinked when the title cards were shown, but since I clearly missed the message, the rest of the film felt disjointed for me. Another editing element I disliked was the soundtrack. It was always the same and always building, never a rest. I realize that this was probably something the editor intentionally did to force me to feel the same exhaustion as the characters, but it was rough and over done. While Academy members who enjoyed this film may vote for it, my guess is any hopes for a win were crushed when The Darkest Hour was nominated. They are different British perspectives on the same moment in history. In a way, I believe they sort of cancel each other out in regards to the Oscars. It will not win best picture, but it may take home one or two Oscars for other categories.
The Shape of Water (Think, Laugh, Cry)
TLC Method: I thought about the relationship I have with language. How verbal language can control us and how important body language can be. (Example: Giles - Richard Jenkins - is trying to find an opportunity to express his feelings to the Pie Guy and can't use verbal language. Elisa - Sally Hawkins - who is mute, falls in love with a amphibian man who also does not speak.) I laughed when Elisa used sign language to tell Mr. Strickland off. I laughed at the dialogue back and forth between Giles and Elisa and Zelda. I cried at the end. What really got to me was the poem spoken by Giles. "Unable to perceive the shape of you, I find you all around me. Your presence fill my eyes with your love, it humbles my heart, for you are everywhere." I think anyone who has felt love can appreciate its meaning.
Review: This film, while exaggerated and unrealistic at times, is a beautiful lesson in open mindedness and not judging a book by its cover. Giles and Elisa each show us in their own way how important having an open heart can be. In my opinion, it had all of the elements of a classic piece of literature. It spoke to friendship, loneliness, love, death and wickedness. If you can embrace the adult elements of the film, I think you will see the goal of director and writer, Guillermo del Toro. Sympathy should not be reserved solely for those who look like you. Instead treat each person (or fish man) with respect and judge them on their actions, not their appearance or disability. The music was especially important in crafting the feeling of the movie. It was pure and light and artsy in its tone. It led you through this fairytale. The cinematography was absolutely beautiful. I especially enjoyed the shot transitions through water. My criticism of this film is that perhaps it tired to do too much. Did Mr. Strickland have to have all of the evil characteristics of a fantasy villain? He was a racist, a killer, a creep, and he washed his hands before he peed. (I'd love to know what inspired that bathroom scene). It was not a perfect movie, but it was one of my favorites of the year. As I mentioned in my Get Out review, Guillermo is nominated for best director and best original screenplay. I believe he will win at least one of those awards. I also think this has a real chance of winning best picture.
Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri (Think, Laugh, Cry)
TLC Method: I thought about my trust in the police. I thought about how strong and unapologetic Mildred (Frances McDormand) was to everyone around her. I thought about good v.s. bad. (Is she a good person who does bad things for the right reasons, or is she a bad person with good intentions?). It made me laugh and it made me cry. It made me laugh while I was crying. The scene when the chief's wife delivers the letter to Mildred and we discover that the chief has paid for the billboards for another month was one of my favorite moments of any film on this blog. It was such a screwed up thing to do in more ways than one, but it was also very funny.
Review: This film was odd and complex, but at its core it was simple and wonderful. A mother loved her daughter and would do anything to see her daughter's murderer caught. Frances McDormand and Sam Rockwell deserve every award. As a supporting character, Sam Rockwell's portrayal of Police Officer Dixon was one of the best story arcs I've ever seen. It was incredibly well crafted and performed. I enjoyed Mildred's wit and determination. She was incredibly strong when dealing with her ex-husband, the dentist, and the police and yet she had compassion. The scene when Chief Willoughby (Woody Harrelson) spits up blood was so raw. In one moment, she is hard and the very next she is nurturing. This film felt real to me. It was a unique story, but it told the truth about how messy and awful life can be. I did not understand why they chose to end the film the way they did. It is sort of up for interpretation. So, I don't believe Mildred and Dixon got to where they were going. I believe the plot led Mildred and Dixon together so they could learn from each other. There are consequences to every action, whether it is done for righteous or vengeful reasons. In my opinion, this film should and will win best picture, best actress, and best supporting actor.
Lady Bird (1/2 Think, 1/2 Laugh, 1/2 Cry)
TLC Method: I gave this one a 1/2 for each of the three categories. It did make me chuckle, my eyes did water just a tad and I'd even go so far as to say that it made me think about the difference between loving someone versus liking someone. The scene when Lady Bird (Saoirse Ronan) is trying on prom dresses and asks her mom (Laurie Metcalf) if she likes her, was very insightful into the distinct relationship between a parent and a child.
Lady Bird: Why can't you say I look nice?
Marion McPherson: I thought you didn't even care what I think.
Lady Bird: I still want you to think I look good.
Marion McPherson: Okay, I'm sorry. I was telling you the truth, do you want me to lie?
Lady Bird: No, I mean, I just, I wish that you liked me.
Marion McPherson: Of course I love you.
Lady Bird: But do you like me?
Review: This was the one film I had expectations for because people had told me they thought I would enjoy it. I often feel underwhelmed by films that people talk-up to me. This was a similar case. While I was entertained by this hour and a half coming of age story, it fell short for me. My friend Taylor and I discussed the film afterward and she said she felt it was "a series of memories". I thought that was very interesting and it helped to explain what I both liked and disliked about the film. I enjoyed the lessons that Lady Bird learned as she got through high school and most of those felt like complete thoughts by the end of the film. However, I struggled to understand the point of certain scenes. What was the point of Father Leviatch who is the musical director in the first semester? If the film was Lady Bird's memories, what role did he play in Lady Bird's life? Why give him such memorable moments (Him crying during drama club and him speaking to Mrs. McPherson in the hospital) without having those affect Lady Bird (the main character)? Why do we see Lady Bird throwing away the grade book, lying about her grade, and then nothing coming of it? What lesson is there in that? I'm just confused as to whose memories they were suppose to be and perhaps my confusion in its plot was because some of those "memories" are more like dreams (confusing and unclear). I want to congratulate first time best director nominee, Greta Gerwig, on her work because it deserves to be acknowledged, but this film is still a rough draft. It felt unpolished and unfocused. The ending is the worst part for me, it was incredibly unsatisfying and I don't mean that in a everything needed to be perfect kind of way. I just felt it really needed a clearer resolution. To our knowledge, her mother doesn't know that Lady Bird has read her unfinished letters and we don't know if mom ever listens to the phone message (of course its assumed, but we don't see it). Lady Bird has a bad drinking experience, walks past a church which reminds her of home and she calls her mom. My interpretation of that ending is: See? Mom was right. One bad experience at college and you'll realize you've made a terrible choice. For me, that was not an ending. While I enjoyed this film, I do not believe it will win best picture or best director.
Phantom Thread (Think)
TLC Method: I thought about the relationship between Woodcock (Daniel Day-Lewis) and Alma (Vicky Krieps). Their love was strange and unusual, even unhealthy. I thought, do all talented artists have to be cruel assholes? Why would she stay with him? I did not laugh or cry.
Review: While there were parts of this film I enjoyed, it was clear that the film was only interested in being a character study. I say this because it had no clear plot, just a series of scenes showing the strange relationship between these three characters. Daniel Day-Lewis' acting was great, but I'd say Lesley Manville who played Woodcock's sister, Cyril, stole the show for me. Her delivery of blunt and yet refined and proper dialogue was brilliant. She certainly deserves to be nominated for best supporting actress. Overall, however, the film was unimpressive for me. It was long and drawn out, overly artsy at times. It felt full of itself. The music was nice, but felt misused at times. I was unsure what feeling or message I was suppose to be receiving because the music often did not fit the scene. The ending was truly bizarre. How did we go from rude artist meets innocent beauty to couple realizes their love for each other because of a mutual enjoyment of poisonous mushroom sex games? Odd film. This should not have been nominated for best picture. My guess is that it was only nominated because Daniel Day-Lewis announced his retirement from acting.
Darkest Hour (1/2 Think)
TLC Method: I can't give this even a full Think. It did make me somewhat sympathize with the difficult choices Churchill (Gary Oldman) had to make during World War 2, but I've seen better. I did not laugh or cry.
Review: I want to first say that I have watched both The Crown (Netflix series) and Dunkirk. I believe this very much helped me to stay connected to the action. Also, I studied the war and European history in college and have always enjoyed war films. That being said, why the Academy nominated two British films basically about the same thing from just two different British perspective is beyond me. Gary Oldman is incredible and he will win best actor, but the film is nothing but monologues. It is again, like Phantom Thread, just a character study. It was boring and I wanted to fast forward a few times. A lot of films have been made about World War 2 and about Churchill. In my opinion, if you are going to do something that has been done time and time again, then you have to find a more unique way to tell it. This should not and will not win best picture.
The Post (Think, 1/2 Cry)
TLC Method: I think if you live in America in 2018 it would be difficult for you to not make connections between The Post and today's White House. So, yes, this film made me think about the importance of the First Amendment. It also made me think about a women's role in society in the 1970s versus 2018. As the country's first female newspaper publisher, Kay Graham (Meryl Streep) is constantly surrounded by white male voices. I may have shed a few tears of joy for Kay as the film came to an end and her risk-taking was met with praise.
Review: This was an entertaining classic Hollywood film and I mean that as both a compliment and an insult. It had elements of a Hollywood blockbuster; a big name director (Steven Spielberg) and big name actors (Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks, along with many others), and a plot that effects the nation. It did remind me of Spotlight, but then I realized it lacked substance. It was a whole lot of just beautifully shot movement. Also, the acting really wasn't that great (I mostly blame the writing on that one). It felt fake and glamorized, which made it entertaining, but also predictable and cheep. All of the most interesting lines were in the trailer. The biggest failure in my mind was that they spent all of this money to hire two of the most acclaimed actors in modern times and then don't really allow them to do what they do best - act. There are just too many other characters to have time to truly see how Streep and Hank's characters develop. I think because of today political climate, this film does have a chance to win, but it truly shouldn't. I think there is a reason why it was not nominated for screenplay or director. It simply was not Spielberg's best work.
Call Me by Your Name (Think, Cry)
TLC Method: I thought about body language and about love. I thought about the concept of sexuality and how Elio (Timothée Chalamet) experienced confusion and discovery of his sexuality. I cried for Elio when Oliver (Armie Hammer) leaves and when Elio's father speaks to him at the end of the film.
Review: This is a romance. It started slow with subtle hints at Elio and Oliver's feelings towards each other, but eventually picked up the pace. I would categorize this as an art house film. Random artist shots without meaning, up for interpretation. I sometimes struggle with these types of films because their goal is not necessarily to adhere to common storytelling techniques. This film's goal was not to entertain you it was to tell you about the love between two people. It was not avant guard, but similar to Lady Bird in that it seemed to be a series of memories. The acting by Chalamet was vulnerable and raw. His performance deserved to be recognized. I believe it is a film that will grow on me. I do not believe it will win any awards on Oscar Sunday, but it certainly deserved to be recognized for a beautiful story well-told.
Below is an image of my rankings of the best picture nominees based on Think, Laugh, Cry. I hope you've enjoyed reading my reviews. Feel free to comment below with your opinions of each film and be sure to let me know what you think of my method.
