Just got back from the AMC Best Picture Showcase. 10 hours later and I'm alive! Today was:
Phantom Thread: Liked it better than I thought, though way too long. Good performances and costume design in a twisted love story that definitely took a route I didn't see coming. And also made me
really want mushrooms.
Lady Bird: Great performances from Metcalf and Ronan. Plenty of laugh-out-loud moments, especially if you went to Catholic school. Pacing was a little rushy which didn't really let you linger on any scene/emotional beat too long. A little disappointed this one wasn't better (not that it was
bad) considering the hype, but the mother-daughter relationship portrayed is totally spot-on.
Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri: Fantastic performances all around--Rockwell and McDormand have got to be locks for the acting categories. A great story with character-driven twists and turns. Great pacing and combination of plot and character, and completely engaging throughout. I think I could've watched for another hour and been okay with that.
The Shape of Water: Beautiful art design and effects (not sure if the Creature was practical or CGI, but it was fantastic either way). Loved the performances, especially from Hawkins and Shannon (and supporting roles from Spencer and Jenkins). Overall, not as emotionally affecting as I was hoping, but had me glued to the screen the entire time).
So far the only BP noms I haven't seen are Call Me By Your Name (not playing anywhere near me, and no DVD release any time soon) and Darkest Hour (DVD 2/27!). Right now my ranking is (best to least):
1. Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri
2. The Shape of Water
3. The Post
4. Dunkirk (this is the one that I feel will move around for me. Great on the technical aspects, exciting, great practical effects, but characterization was a little on the hallow side)
5. Lady Bird
6. Get Out
7. Phantom Thread
I haven't really hated any that I've seen, but all of them have me feeling a little frustrated. They ALL have the parts to be amazing, but each has something that keeps it from living up to its full potential, in my opinion. Someone on Twitter mentioned this year being a particularly hard crop of movies to connect to emotionally, which I feel as well. I still think Molly's Game, had it been nominated, would be my pick for BP. I enjoyed that one the most.
I think I only saw two of the BP noms last year so Oscar night wasn't as fun. I'm making up for lost time this year.