Five New Movies with Oscar Buzz

Yes, I already have my ticket for the opening night of The Last Jedi. But that is still four days away. Meanwhile, it's December and I am trying to see two movies a week just to keep up. I have seen five films that have Oscar buzz. Here are some mini-reviews:

Pixar rarely misfires, ok Cars1, 2, 3, but otherwise, I generally really like their films. Their newest film, Coco, however, was fraught. Would Pixar be accused of cultural appropriation or, even worse, just get it all wrong? But, no, the reception has been amazing and everyone thinks they got it just right. Coco tells the story of a Mexican family, living and dead, at the time of the Dia de los Muertos (The Day of the Dead). Coco is both heartwarming and weird since half the family is dead, but it does do a good job of dealing with the subject of death. And the animation is pretty wonderful. This should win the Best Animated Film at the Oscars.

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri certainly wins the prize for best movie title of the year. The really exciting thing is that it stars Frances McDormand. Yes, she has been nominated for 5 Oscars and won once (Fargo), but I think she is under-appreciated. She is up there with Meryl Streep. One reason McDormand is under-appreciated is that she doesn't often star in a film. In Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, she has a great role and as usual she shines. The amazing supporting cast includes Woody Harrelson, Sam Rockwell, Peter Dinklage, Abbie Cornish, and Lucas Hedges. This is not a happy movie. The three billboards draw attention to the fact that McDormand's daughter was raped and murdered and that no one has been arrested. And the appearance of the billboards leads to a series of unfortunate events.

Lady Bird could have been just another coming of age movie. There are a million of them. But this one was written and directed by the great Greta Gerwig, and stars Saoirse Ronan. Gerwig is well known for her acting but this is the first film she has directed. Ronan is only 23 but has been nominated for two Oscars for Atonement when she was 13, and recently for Brooklyn. In Lady Bird, she plays a high school senior trying to figure out her life. Laurie Metcalf (Roseanne) plays her mother, Beanie Feldstein, her best friend, and Lucas Hedges (yes, he's also in Three Billboards) as her love interest. Lady Bird is an amazing film. The screenplay is great and all the characters mesh together in a wonderful way.

What does one say about this movie? It sounds ridiculous but The Disaster Artist is a funny, entertaining movie. It tells the true story of Tommy Wiseau, a mysterious and very strange person who made one of the worst films of all time, called The Room. He is played by James Franco, who also directs. Franco has played his share of strange roles so this one fits. His real-life brother Dave plays Tommy's friend who is a wannabe actor. There are a lot of laughs particularly here in Louisiana, because Tommy constantly claims to be from New Orleans even though he has an unplaceable European accent. Make sure you stay to the end of the credits to see the scene where James Franco as Tommy talks to the real Tommy. So bizarre...

Mudbound is a Netflix movie so you don't need to leave your house to see it. It is set before, during, and after World War II in middle of nowhere Mississippi. That is enough to make Mudbound frightening, but it gets worse, much worse. This movie tells the story of two poor families, one white and one black, struggling to survive as farmers. Bad as the white family's life is, the black family's life is far worse. There is no redemption here. The cast is very good and full of people you recognize but cannot place including Jason Clarke (Zero Dark Thirty), Garrett Hedlund (Tron: Legacy), Carey Mulligan (The Great Gatsby), Rob Morgan (Stranger Things), and Jason Mitchell (Straight Outta Compton). This is a good film, particularly the friendship between Hedlund and Mitchell, who both served in WW II, but don't watch this movie if you are depressed.

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?

In the world of Blade Runner, it has been almost 30 years since Roy (Rutger Hauer) gave his famous dying speech: "I've seen things you people wouldn't believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhäuser Gate. All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain. Time to die."

It's hard to believe but in our world 35 years have passed since Blade Runner appeared in 1982. Ridley Scott, who directed the original, is now producing, but Blade Runner 2049 is in good hands. It is directed by Denis Villeneuve who is responsible for last year's wonderful Arrival.

It is now 2049 and some things have changed and some things haven't. It is still raining, and there are still Replicants and Blade Runners trying to retire them. Most of the characters in Blade Runner were dead by the end of the movie, so only two actors reprise their roles, Harrison Ford as Deckard and a cameo by Edward James Olmos as Gaff. No spoilers but there is some CGI magic also. You may be wondering what happened to Rachael (Sean Young)? You'll have to watch Blade Runner 2049 to find out.

The new Blade Runner is K (Ryan Gosling) and his lieutenant is played by Robin Wright. Tyrell Corporation has been taken over by Wallace Corporation, and Mr. Wallace (Jared Leto) is even creepier than Mr. Tyrell. His assistant/bodyguard is a new model Replicant (Sylvia Hoeks) who is basically a female Roy Batty. While tracking down a runaway Replicant (Dave Bautista, Drax in Guardians of the Galaxy), K uncovers a mystery that leads slowly and inexorably back to the question of what happened to Rachael and Deckard (still played admirably by Harrison Ford). As in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Ford gets to play the same character 30 years later without needing any makeup. What will Ford do next? You guessed it, Indiana Jones.

Anyway, not much has changed in three decades except that the Ads are now holographs and the Replicants don't have expiry dates. There are some nice paeans to the first film but with a few curveballs thrown in. Mackenzie Davis (Mindy Park in The Martian) is styled to look just like Daryl Hannah's Replicant in the original, but she is human. And we know from the start that Gosling isn't human, he's a Replicant. No word on what Ford is. He seems human to me.

The casting is very nice. Gosling is perfect for the world weary Blade Runner who wants to quit and, of course, wants to be human. He practices with his beautiful, Siri-esque girlfriend (Ana de Armas). Robin Wright plays another strong role as Gosling's boss, following right after her parts in House of Cards and Wonder Woman. Jared Leto is creepy, but that's not a stretch for him. Hoeks' Replicant is beautiful and scary. Ford is great as always.

The first best thing about the new film, besides the fact that it is still pouring rain, is the very successful re-creation of the world of Blade Runner. It is as atmospheric as the original. Happily, Villeneuve does not try and make Blade Runner into Jason Bourne. I loved the leisurely pace of the movie which slowly ramps up the tension, although I did begin to wonder whether Ford had been edited out. But it turns out that Deckard has just been hiding in a very interesting place with lots of whisky for 30 years. The movie is pretty long at 163 minutes but it didn't drag for me. I really liked it, especially considering that Blade Runner is one of those movies that shouldn't have remakes or sequels. The original Blade Runner was not a hit at the box office or with the critics, but is now considered iconic and is much copied. Blade Runner 2049 is a hit among the critics but is also struggling at the box office. So go see it. It is a good film to see on the big screen.

The Best Films of the 21st Century So Far

The NY Times has a list today of the Best Films of the 21st Century So Far. You can read it here. I am listing my 25 Best Films below. There is only an overlap of two films between me and the NY Times, Boyhood, and Million Dollar Baby. I haven't even seen half of the NY Times list and I see 80 movies a year. Anyway, here is my list in alphabetical order:

About a Boy (2002)
Arrival (2016)
Birdman (2014)
Boyhood (2014)
Brooklyn (2015)
Cast Away (2000)
The Descendants (2011)
Gosford Park (2001)
High Fidelity (2000)
How to Train Your Dragon (2010)
Interstellar  (2014)
La La Land (2016)
Lost in Translation (2003)
The Martian (2015)
Memento (2001)
Million Dollar Baby (2004)
Ocean's Eleven (2001)
Pride & Prejudice (2005)
Serenity (2005)
Sideways (2004)
Silver Linings Playbook (2012)
Stranger Than Fiction (2006)
20th Century Women (2016)
WALL-E (2008)
Zero Dark Thirty (2012)

Top Ten Movies of 2016

Best Movies:
1. 20th Century Women
2. La La Land
3. Arrival
4. Manchester by the Sea
5. Captain Fantastic
6. Denial
7. Sing Street
8. A Hologram for the King
9. Swiss Army Man
10. Hunt for the Wilderpeople

Honorable Mention: Love & Friendship, Sully, Loving, Rogue One, Hello, My Name is Doris
Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, Deadpool, Fences, Lion, Queen of Katwe, Five Nights in Maine, Born to Be Blue, Hidden Figures, Moonlight

Best Actor:
1. Ryan Gosling (La La Land)
2. Casey Affleck (Manchester by the Sea)
3. Viggo Mortensen (Captain Fantastic)
4. Denzil Washington (Fences)
5. Tom Hanks (Sully, Hologram for a King)
Honorable Mention: Dev Patel (Lion)

Best Actress:
1. Annette Bening (20th Century Women)
2. Amy Adams (Arrival)
3. Emma Stone (La La Land)
4. Rachel Weisz (Denial)
5. Sally Field (Hello, My Name is Doris)
Honorable Mention: Natalie Portman (Jackie), Ruth Negga (Loving), Isabelle Huppert (Elle), Kate Beckinsale (Love & Friendship), Katherine Waterston (Fantastic Beasts)

Best Supporting Actor:
1. Tom Wilkinson (Denial)
2. Lucas Hedges (Manchester By the Sea)
3. Sam Neill (Hunt for the Wilderpeople)
4. Daniel Radcliffe (Swiss Army Man)
5. Mahershala Ali (Moonlight, Hidden Figures)
Honorable Mention: Jeff Bridges (Hell or High Water),

Best Supporting Actress:
1. Greta Gerwig (20th Century Women, Jackie)
2. Elle Fanning (20th Century Women)
3. Viola Davis (Fences)
4. Janelle Monae (Moonlight & Hidden Figures)
5. Octavia Spencer (Hidden Figures)
Honorable Mention: Rooney Mara (Lion)