As usual, I’ll list
them worst to first.
Hacksaw Ridge – If
you’re looking for gore, bump this to the top. A couple of the long, bloody
battle scenes featured deaths creative enough to make me laugh out loud, but I
wouldn’t have objected to some more backstory. The real story is incredible,
and the film conveys a lot of it, but the writing was bland and there was a lot
of cheesy embellishing that made this boring and predictable.
Grade – C+
Hidden Figures – The
feel-good tearjerker of the year. Based on an inspirational true story with
plenty of exaggerated racism to create more tension. And there’s only so much
you can do with math montages. Great story, ok writing.
Grade – B-
Fences – Brains wasted
by racism in Hidden Figures; brawn wasted by racism in Fences. This was like
the novel you didn’t enjoy reading, but left an impression. Maybe
I’m being too critical. If another actor did what Denzel Washington did, I
would probably be amazed, but he does this every time--and Viola Davis
was amazing. Cindy said it felt too playish—we later
learned it was adapted from a play. When you’re making a film, use the power of
film, take us places; if you’re going to stay in his backyard for two hours,
the dialogue better be incredible—which it wasn’t.
Grade – B-
Arrival – The thought
provoker of the group. I imagine it is difficult to convey this type of science in a two-hour film, but they did enough to make it
interesting.
Grade – B
Lion – Finished in
less than two hours, but could have used at least another 20 minutes of backstory on his
family life and relationship. Rooney Mara was great. (Nicole Kidman was too.) Good enough, but could have been much better.
Grade – B
LaLa Land – Halfway
through I began thinking it felt like Whiplash,
turns out it's the same writer. Same theme. Great directing; the opening scene is
borderline showoff-y. Finale was great. But I didn’t really care much for the
music.
Grade – B
Manchester By The Sea
– Deserves a cinematography award in addition to the acting awards it probably won. This was a memorable story with writing that captured subtleties often overlooked.
Grade – B+
Moonlight – Powerful
story, strong acting. Enjoyed the look into the less glamorous parts of Miami.
Grade – B+
Hell or High Water – Funny, visceral, scenic, political yet apolitical. Great score. A serious film
that made me laugh out loud at least a half-dozen times.
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Grade – A
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