28 July 2017
Okay so it has been like aaaaaaages since I wrote one of these but when I see a movie this good (or a string of movies this good)) it always gets me inspired to write down my thoughts, you know it is nice to put how I feel into words. But now that I have said that I will not talk about any of those movies in this post and will instead try to think back to last year and finish off the "American film year" which to be honest finishes in like March. So without further ado, here's the ones I can remember that I hadn't already talked about (after that I will try to dig out a list of my favorite films of the year then finally I can talk about what I have written recently). I will keep these brief as there are a lot to get through
Moonlight (2016)
And of course I start with the true masterpiece of 2016. Blending three periods of such a person's life in such a beautiful way. Packed with great performances, absolutely gorgeous cinematography, excellent score, I don't need to write much more than that, I will remember this film for a long time.
Hidden Figures(2016)
I remember really liking hidden figures: the subject matter is really important, the three central performances are all really strong and the story is told at a decent pace. It is a shame that it is told so conventionally but hey if it ain't broke don't fix it I guess. The conventional way it is told works because the subject matter is so worthy and it has some excellent dialogue but I would not recommend it above a film like moonlight because of this.
Nocturnal Animals (Okay I should stop with the dates, these are all 2016)
Urgh, so yes its really pretty, yes its pretty, engaging and gripping, yes Michael Shannon is AMAZING, yes right up until the end I really enjoyed it but urgh, did it have to have such a pro-life ending? Like basically the whole argument of the character at the end was that aborting his child was the equivalent of raping and murdering his wife and child? I am sorry but I just cannot support that and it didn't help that it was displayed in such a dumb, obvious kind of way.
Arrival
Okay so the actual good Amy Adams film yay! Okay this film was fantastic, everyone behind it really knows how to speak the language of cinema. The circular narrative, the philosophy of language, the dialogue and suspense, the technical mastery all bound together by the wonderful Amy Adams was just a marvel to behold.
Lion
Lion is a super sweet film. The kid (I can't be bothered looking him up to remember his name) is a revelation. That is not to say the rest of the cast aren't great too (especially Dev Patel who gives it his all as usual). The aerial shots of India are really beautiful to look at as is the film as a whole. It was just a really fantastic story told really competently and believably. What more could you really want?
Jackie
This was a fascinating film, they tried to do something really different and they kind of pulled it off. Natalie Portman is phenomenal in the lead role and credit has to go out to al the technical people for the costumes, set, hair, makeup and cinematography that give this film a really interesting and unique feel. Not the best of these films, the way they told the story only sort of worked but it is well worth it for the technical mastery.
Gold
Honestly, I don't really remember this that well beyond it was kinda shitty (maybe that is why I don't remember it). If I wanted to say why I would have to watch it again and I don't want to do that.
Manchester By The Sea
A really impressive feat of storytelling. This is a story where everything goes wrong for the main character, he goes through so much shit and you really feel for him, it really feels like he is a real, three dimensional human being and that you really want to help him but there is nothing you can do. But despite all of this they manage to bring out such humour and joy in the darkest moments. That is to me the most impressive thing about this film - which mostly comes down to it being so well written. Despite this, I feel I still need to mention how incredible the performances were. This is easily Casey Affleck's best performance to date and he really deserves that Oscar.
Fences
A really interesting, realistic portrayal of the difficulties of being a working class black man trying to do make something of themself in the US; however it goes further than that as it shows how that almost goes too far and that people often get stuck in the mentality where they hold back those around them and assume they can't be more than you are. I do agree with some people that say its a bit stagey - it is definitely wordy and confined but at the same time the dialogue is great and the performances are fantastic so I would recommend it - with caution to anyone who doesn't like their films too wordy.
Hell or High Water
Excellent performances, wonderful story, shot phenomenally, great score all the while, it quietly has something to say about the state of life in rural midwestern US towns. I really loved Hell or High water.
Hacksaw Ridge
So I am not religious but this was a really great reminder of the great things that faith can do for certain people. It is an important, well told faith based story all anchored by the increasingly great Andrew Garfield. (by the way these are getting shorter as I get tired but this is just a catch up anyway).
Florence Foster Jenkins
Meryl Streep just can't seem to fail. This outragiously funny, while also really sweet true story was a delight, while not something I would shout about in the streets and proclaim best movie of the year, it was a lot of fun and had a lot of heart and I am really glad I saw it.
My Life as a Courgette
A really wonderful animated film, while it is colourful and intentionally unrealistic looking it is still really believable and has a lot of heart. It is also very pretty to look at which helps a lot.
Allied
An old fashioned hollywood story in the bad sense. It really did feel like a bunch of hollywood actors pretending to be something they are not. I didn't really believe it for a second. In saying that, it did look good (albeit in a fake kind of way) and the story was somewhat engaging if not at all convincing.
Silence
A grueling, long, difficult, hard to watch, sobering, beautiful, masterful work of art. This fascinating meditation on religion is a true work of art but it is long, it is difficult to get through and it does wear you down. If you can make it to the other side it is totally worth it. It is packed with really wonderful, believable performances too.
Passengers
This film was a piece of garbage and does not deserve more than one line of a description. Some of the setpieces were good looking through (albeit in a fake kinda way).
Right, there are heaps I probably missed but I think I got most of them!
Moonlight (2016)
And of course I start with the true masterpiece of 2016. Blending three periods of such a person's life in such a beautiful way. Packed with great performances, absolutely gorgeous cinematography, excellent score, I don't need to write much more than that, I will remember this film for a long time.
Hidden Figures(2016)
I remember really liking hidden figures: the subject matter is really important, the three central performances are all really strong and the story is told at a decent pace. It is a shame that it is told so conventionally but hey if it ain't broke don't fix it I guess. The conventional way it is told works because the subject matter is so worthy and it has some excellent dialogue but I would not recommend it above a film like moonlight because of this.
Nocturnal Animals (Okay I should stop with the dates, these are all 2016)
Urgh, so yes its really pretty, yes its pretty, engaging and gripping, yes Michael Shannon is AMAZING, yes right up until the end I really enjoyed it but urgh, did it have to have such a pro-life ending? Like basically the whole argument of the character at the end was that aborting his child was the equivalent of raping and murdering his wife and child? I am sorry but I just cannot support that and it didn't help that it was displayed in such a dumb, obvious kind of way.
Arrival
Okay so the actual good Amy Adams film yay! Okay this film was fantastic, everyone behind it really knows how to speak the language of cinema. The circular narrative, the philosophy of language, the dialogue and suspense, the technical mastery all bound together by the wonderful Amy Adams was just a marvel to behold.
Lion
Lion is a super sweet film. The kid (I can't be bothered looking him up to remember his name) is a revelation. That is not to say the rest of the cast aren't great too (especially Dev Patel who gives it his all as usual). The aerial shots of India are really beautiful to look at as is the film as a whole. It was just a really fantastic story told really competently and believably. What more could you really want?
Jackie
This was a fascinating film, they tried to do something really different and they kind of pulled it off. Natalie Portman is phenomenal in the lead role and credit has to go out to al the technical people for the costumes, set, hair, makeup and cinematography that give this film a really interesting and unique feel. Not the best of these films, the way they told the story only sort of worked but it is well worth it for the technical mastery.
Gold
Honestly, I don't really remember this that well beyond it was kinda shitty (maybe that is why I don't remember it). If I wanted to say why I would have to watch it again and I don't want to do that.
Manchester By The Sea
A really impressive feat of storytelling. This is a story where everything goes wrong for the main character, he goes through so much shit and you really feel for him, it really feels like he is a real, three dimensional human being and that you really want to help him but there is nothing you can do. But despite all of this they manage to bring out such humour and joy in the darkest moments. That is to me the most impressive thing about this film - which mostly comes down to it being so well written. Despite this, I feel I still need to mention how incredible the performances were. This is easily Casey Affleck's best performance to date and he really deserves that Oscar.
Fences
A really interesting, realistic portrayal of the difficulties of being a working class black man trying to do make something of themself in the US; however it goes further than that as it shows how that almost goes too far and that people often get stuck in the mentality where they hold back those around them and assume they can't be more than you are. I do agree with some people that say its a bit stagey - it is definitely wordy and confined but at the same time the dialogue is great and the performances are fantastic so I would recommend it - with caution to anyone who doesn't like their films too wordy.
Hell or High Water
Excellent performances, wonderful story, shot phenomenally, great score all the while, it quietly has something to say about the state of life in rural midwestern US towns. I really loved Hell or High water.
Hacksaw Ridge
So I am not religious but this was a really great reminder of the great things that faith can do for certain people. It is an important, well told faith based story all anchored by the increasingly great Andrew Garfield. (by the way these are getting shorter as I get tired but this is just a catch up anyway).
Florence Foster Jenkins
Meryl Streep just can't seem to fail. This outragiously funny, while also really sweet true story was a delight, while not something I would shout about in the streets and proclaim best movie of the year, it was a lot of fun and had a lot of heart and I am really glad I saw it.
My Life as a Courgette
A really wonderful animated film, while it is colourful and intentionally unrealistic looking it is still really believable and has a lot of heart. It is also very pretty to look at which helps a lot.
Allied
An old fashioned hollywood story in the bad sense. It really did feel like a bunch of hollywood actors pretending to be something they are not. I didn't really believe it for a second. In saying that, it did look good (albeit in a fake kind of way) and the story was somewhat engaging if not at all convincing.
Silence
A grueling, long, difficult, hard to watch, sobering, beautiful, masterful work of art. This fascinating meditation on religion is a true work of art but it is long, it is difficult to get through and it does wear you down. If you can make it to the other side it is totally worth it. It is packed with really wonderful, believable performances too.
Passengers
This film was a piece of garbage and does not deserve more than one line of a description. Some of the setpieces were good looking through (albeit in a fake kinda way).
Right, there are heaps I probably missed but I think I got most of them!
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