The Bamboo Awards: BORN IN CHINA WINS IT ALL!

[The Panda]

 

It's the awards show that nobody has been waiting for, but everybody will take issue with when I finish, the 2017 Bamboo Awards!  This year, I managed to see 75 movies, which is a whopping 8 less than I did last year, look at that personal growth in movie watching!  Now, obviously, since I saw less movies this year, that means I am going to need to have a countdown of more movies, so I'll be giving you my entire top 25 (with no honorable mentions).  On the way, I'll also be awarding Bamboo Sticks to my favorite actors, screenwriters, directors, etc. from the year, and I'll be sure that the Bamboo sticks arrive promptly at each winners doorsteps, they'll be very pleased to know they won this award (for some, it may be their only award this year ).   I'll also be choosing a runner up, co-runner up and some honorable mentions (each category, excluding BP, will have one single post)

 

Also, a little caveat, I have obviously not seen every movie from 2017 (in fact, I have only seen 75) and so there are a few movies that have gotten a lot of acclaim that simply won't show up because I didn't get the opportunity to see them.  The main ones include The Florida Project, Call Me By Your Name, The Post, I, Tonya, Molly's Game and Phantom Thread.

 

Here are the categories

 

BEST PICTURE

WINNER: Born in China Star Wars: The Last Jedi

RUNNER UP: Blade Runner 2049

Co-RUNNER UP: Get Out

4th: Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

5th: Lady Bird

6th: Dunkirk

7th: The Big Sick

8th: Logan

9th: Wind River

10th: Wonder Woman

11th: A Ghost Story

12th: Coco

13th: IT

14th: Okja

15th: War for the Planet of the Apes

16th: The Shape of Water

17th: Baby Driver

18th: The Disaster Artist

19th: Darkest Hour

20th: Mudbound

21st: All the Money in the World

22nd: Wonder

23rd: Detroit

24th: Thor: Ragnarok

25th: Raw

 

BEST DIRECTOR

Winner: Rian Johnson, Star Wars: The Last Jedi
Runner Up: Greta Gerwig, Lady Bird
Co-Runner Up: Denis Villeneuve, Blade Runner 2049
HM1: Christopher Nolan, Dunkirk
HM2: Jordan Peele, Get Out
HM3: Martin McDonagh, Three Billboards Outside of Ebbings, Missouri
HM4: Patty Jenkins, Wonder Woman

 

BEST ENSEMBLE

Winner: Three Billboards Outside of Ebbings, Missouri
Runner Up: Star Wars: The Last Jedi
Co-Runner Up: Lady Bird
HM1: The Big Sick
HM2: Mudbound
HM3: Get Out
HM4: The Shape of Water

 

BEST ACTRESS

Winner: Frances McDormand, Three Billboards Outside of Ebbings, Missouri
Runner Up: Saoirse Ronan, Lady Bird
Co-Runner Up: Sally Hawkins, The Shape of Water
HM1: Daisey Ridley, Star Wars: The Last Jedi
HM2: Michelle Williams, All the Money in the World
HM3: Gal Gadot, Wonder Woman
HM4: Seo-Hyeon Ahn, Okja

 

BEST ACTOR

Winner: Mark Hamill, Star Wars: The Last Jedi
Runner Up: Gary Oldman, Darkest Hour
Co-Runner Up: James Franco, The Disaster Artist
HM1: Hugh Jackman, Logan
HM2: Daniel Kaluuya, Get Out
HM3: Jeremy Renner, Wind River
HM4: Andy Serkis, War for the Planet of the Apes

 

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Winner: Carrie Fisher, Star Wars: The Last Jedi

Runner Up: Laurie Metcalf, Lady Bird

Co-Runner Up: Mary J Blige, Mubound

HM1: Holly Hunter, The Big Sick

HM2: Octavia Spencer, The Shape of Water

HM3: Sophia Lillis, IT

HM4: Dafne Keen, Logan

 

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Winner: Sam Rockwell, Three Billboards

Runner Up: Christopher Plummer, All the Money in the World

Co-Runner Up: Adam Driver, Star Wars: The Last Jedi

HM1: Patrick Stewart, Logan

HM2: Michael Shannon, The Shape of Water

HM3: Jason Mitchell, Mudbound

HM4: Gil Birmingham, Wind River

 

BEST SCREENPLAY

Winner: Get Out

Runner Up: Lady Bird

Co-Runner Up: Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

HM1: The Big Sick

HM2: Star Wars: The Last Jedi

HM3: Wind River

HM4: Logan

 

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

Winner: Blade Runner: 2049

Runner Up: Dunkirk

Co-Runner Up: The Shape of Water

HM1: Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

HM2: Star Wars: The Last Jedi

HM3: A Ghost Story

HN4: Logan

 

BEST EDITING

Winner: Dunkirk

Runner Up: Baby Driver

Co-Runner Up: Blade Runner 2049

HM1: Get Out

HM2: A Ghost Story

HM3: Darkest Hour

 

BEST USE OF MUSIC (Includes Original Scores, Original Songs and Soundtracks)

Winner: Star Wars: The Last Jedi

Runner Up: Baby Driver

Co-Runner Up: A Ghost Story

HM1: All the Money in the World

HM2: The Shape of Water

HM3: Coco

 

BEST DESIGN (Includes Production Design, Hair and Makeup design and Costume Design)

Winner: Blade Runner 2049

Runner Up: Beauty and the Beast

Co-Runner Up: The Shape of Water

HM1: Star Wars: The Last Jedi

HM2: Dunkirk

HM3: Wonder Woman

 

BEST IMMERSIVE DESIGN (Includes Visual Effects, Sound Design and Stuntwork)

Winner: Star Wars: The Last Jedi

Runner Up: Blade Runner 2049

Co-Runner Up: Dunkirk

HM1: War for the Planet of the Apes

HM2: Baby Driver

HM3: Wonder Woman

 

THE HONORARY GOLDEN BAMBOO STICK OF EXEMPLARY WORK IN AN ART FORM THAT IS NOT CINEMA

Winner: Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

Runner Up: Master of None Season 2

Co-Runner Up: Game of Thrones Season 7

HM1: Ola Gjeilo's Winter Songs

HM2: The Handmaid's Tale Season 1

HM3: Stranger Things Season 2

HM4: Super Mario Odyssey

 

For reference, these were my winners the last few years (I'm not editing them to include alterations I've made previously, just what I originally posted each year)

 

2016

Spoiler

BEST PICTURE

Golden Bamboo Stick Winner: La La Land

Silver Bamboo Stick Winner: Arrival

Bronze Bamboo Stick Winner: Deadpool

4th: Hunt for the Wilderpeople

5th: Hell or High Water

6th: Zootopia

7th: Moonlight

8th: Kubo and the Two Strings

9th: The Witch

10th: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

11th: Fences

12th: The Edge of Seventeen

13th: Moana

14th: Hacksaw Ridge

15th: Eye in the Sky

16th: The Nice Guys

17th: Finding Dory

18th: 10 Cloverfield Lane

19th: Manchester by the Sea

20th: The Little Prince

 

BEST DIRECTOR

Golden Bamboo Stick Winner: Denis Villeneuve, Arrival

Silver Bamboo Stick Winner: Damien Chazelle, La La Land

Bronze Bamboo Stick Winner: David Mackenzie, Hell or High Water

4th: Barry Jenkins, Moonlight

5th: Taika Waititi, Hunt for the Wilderpeople

6th: Robert Eggers, The Witch

 

BEST ENSEMBLE

Golden Bamboo Stick Winner: Moonlight

Silver Bamboo Stick Winner: Fences

Bronze Bamboo Stick Winner: Hell or High Water

4th: Hunt for the Wilderpeople

5th: Manchester by the Sea

6th: The Edge of Seventeen

 

BEST ACTOR

Golden Bamboo Stick Winner: Denzel Washington, Fences

Silver Bamboo Stick Winner: Casey Affleck, Manchester by the Sea

Bronze Bamboo Stick Winner: Ryan Gosling, La La Land and the Nice Guys

4th: Chris Pine, Hell or High Water

5th: Ryan Reynolds, Deadpool

6th: Sam Neill, Hunt for the Wilderpeople

 

BEST ACTRESS

Golden Bamboo Stick Winner: Emma Stone, La La Land

Silver Bamboo Stick Winner: Anya Taylor-Joy, The Witch

Bronze Bamboo Stick Winner: Amy Adams, Arrival

4th: Hailee Steinfeld, The Edge of Seventeen

5th: Helen Mirren, Eye in the Sky

6th: Mary Elizabeth Winstead, 10 Cloverfield Lane

 

BEST SUPPORTING PERFORMER

Golden Bamboo Stick Winner: Viola Davis, Fences

Silver Bamboo Stick Winner: Mahershala Ali, Moonlight

Bronze Bamboo Stick Winner: Jeff Bridges, Hell or High Water

4th: Naomie Harris, Moonlight

5th: Ben Foster, Hell or High Water

6th: Angourie Rice, The Nice Guys

 

BEST SCREENPLAY

Golden Bamboo Stick Winner: Arrival

Silver Bamboo Stick Winner: Fences

Bronze Bamboo Stick Winner: Hunt for the Wilderpeople

4th: Hell or High Water

5th: La La Land

6th: Zootopia

 

BEST USE OF MUSIC (Includes Best Score, Soundtrack and Original Songs)

Golden Bamboo Stick Winner: La La Land

Silver Bamboo Stick Winner: Moana

Bronze Bamboo Stick Winner: The Witch

4th: Moonlight

5th: Kubo and the Two Strings

6th: Hell or High Water

 

BEST TECHNICAL WORK (Includes Best Cinematography, Editing, Sound Editing, Sound Mixing and Visual Effects)

Golden Bamboo Stick Winner: La La Land

Silver Bamboo Stick Winner: Arrival

Bronze Bamboo Stick Winner: Moonlight

4th Place: Hacksaw Ridge

5th Place: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

6th Place: Kubo and the Two Strings

 

BEST PRODUCTION WORK (Includes Best Production Design, Best Makeup/Hairstyling and Best Costume Design)

Golden Bamboo Stick Winner: La La Land

Silver Bamboo Stick Winner: The Witch

Bronze Bamboo Stick Winner: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

4th Place: Hacksaw Ridge

5th Place: Deadpool

6th Place: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

 

THE HONORARY GOLDEN BAMBOO STICK OF EXEMPLARY WORK IN AN ART FORM THAT IS NOT CINEMA

Game of Thrones Season 6

 

2015

Spoiler

1. Inside Out
2. Star Wars: The Force Awakens
3. Mad Max: Fury Road
4. The Big Short
5. Spotlight
6. Ex Machina
7. Bridge of Spies
8. Creed
9. Sicario
10. Jurassic World
11. The Peanuts Movie
12. Beasts of No Nation
13. What We Do in the Shadows
14. The Martian
15. Kingsman: The Secret Service
16. The Hateful Eight
17. Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief
18. Brooklyn
19. The Last 5 Years
20. Spy
21. Slow West
22. The Good Dinosaur
23. Furious 7
24. Everest
25. Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation

 

2014

Spoiler

My Top 20 of 2014 This Time Last Year

1. Boyhood

2. Birdman: Or the Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance

3. Guardians of the Galaxy

4. The Grand Budapest Hotel

5. The Immigrant

6. Interstellar

7. Snowpiercer

8. The LEGO Movie

9. The Theory of Everything

10. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

11. Gone Girl

12. The Fault in Our Stars

13. Fury

14. Blue Ruin

15. X-Men: Days of Future Past

16. Into the Woods

17. Only Lovers Left Alive

18. The Imitation Game

19. How to Train Your Dragon 2

20. The Interview

 

Which movie will take number 1?

 

 

Will the Funnybook movies finally make a grand appearance in mass?

 

 

Will there be to many bad takes to blow out of the sky?

 

 

How many people will actually care?

 

 

Find out as the countdown begins, this morning!

 

Edited December 31, 2017 by The Last Panda

[Ethan Hunt]

HYPE

 

I'm a sucker for lists

[The Panda]

Time to start this off with a bang!

 

Number 25

Raw

 

"Putting on a barbecue?"

 

My Grade: B+

Most Valuable Player: Garance Marillier's Lead Performance

Box Office: 514k

Tomatometer: 90%

Synopsis: Justine is a first-year veterinary student. Her elder sister is studying the same course at the university. Justine was raised a strict vegetarian but, as part of the hazing rituals, is forced to eat meat. Initially this has adverse effects but she soon develops a craving for meat...particularly human flesh.

Critic Opinion: "Ah, the pleasures of the flesh. Discovering them is quite a lesson for Justine (Garance Marillier), a fast-rising 16-year-old new arrival at a large French veterinary college, joining her older sister, Alexia (Ella Rumpf). In this bloody good horror film, the school is a life form of its own, a natural breeding ground for students’ animalistic urges." - Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune

User Opinion: "loved this. nuts in a way that reminded me of giallo films from the 70s/80s w/ that dreamlike style to it. even looking beyond the craziness it's one of the better representations of the isolation of young adulthood i've seen in a while." - @CoolioD1

Reasoning: 2017 has been one of the best years for horror that I can remember, and Raw is one of those 'horror' films.  An absolutely bonkers film in many different ways, and at times it can really make you squirm (and upset your stomach a little).  The craftsmanship is strong, however the biggest standout is Marillier's lead performance as a teenage girl who begins to have a craving for human flesh after she ends up eating meat.  The film is packed with some intense scenes, and despite the cringe sounding premise, it actually manages to be a nice look into the adolescence and the struggles a young woman may have to go through.  So a rather relateable movie, when you look past the cannabilism.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited December 29, 2017 by The Last Panda

[The Panda]

Number 24

Thor: Ragnarok

 

"Piss off, ghost!"

 

My Grade: B+

Most Valuable Player: Taika Waititi's Direction

Box Office: 310.1m+

Tomatometer: 92%

Synopsis: Imprisoned, the mighty Thor finds himself in a lethal gladiatorial contest against the Hulk, his former ally. Thor must fight for survival and race against time to prevent the all-powerful Hela from destroying his home and the Asgardian civilization.

Critic Opinion: "Every superhero movie must include at least one epic battle. “Thor: Ragnarok” is full of them, but its biggest is a tonal showdown between quirky, hilarious director Taika Waititi (“What We Do in the Shadows”) and the most leaden of big-comics impulses. Waititi emerges triumphant, but it’s a nail-biter." - Sara Stewart, New York Post

User Opinion: "Korg is amazing" - @RobrtmanAStarWarsReference

Reasoning: This list is already tied for the number of comic book movies I put on it as last year, and its already a higher number than 2014, but will anymore show up?  Thor: Ragnarok was a blast to watch through, managing to be quirky and really give into its space-romp, hammy nature (thanks to Waititi's direction for the film).  Hemsworth is at his best, giving a hilarious performance as he bounces off Loki, Hulk and Korg.  This movie could have possibly made it higher, but I ultimately found Hela and the last act to be a bit of a drag compared to the witty style that dominates the majority of the film.  We definitely need to let Waititi direct more blockbusters, as this one was a blast.

 

 

 

Edited December 29, 2017 by The Last Panda

[The Panda]

And the first award

 

Best Immersive Design

For work in Visual Effects, Sound Design and Stunt Work

 

Honorable Mention #3

Wonder Woman

 

Honorable Mention #2

Baby Driver

 

 

Honorable Mention #1

War for the Planet of the Apes

 

Co-Runner Up

Dunkirk

 

Runner Up

Blade Runner 2049

 

Winner

Star Wars: The Last Jedi

 

 

 

Edited December 29, 2017 by The Last Panda

[The Panda]

Number 23

Detroit

 

"I need you to survive the night."

 

My Grade: B+

Most Valuable Player: Kathryn Bigelow's Direction

Box Office: 16.8m

Tomatometer: 84%

Synopsis: A police raid in Detroit in 1967 results in one of the largest RACE riots in United States history. The story is centred around the Algiers Motel incident, which occurred in Detroit, Michigan on July 25, 1967, during the racially charged 12th Street Riot. It involves the death of three black men and the brutal beatings of nine other people: seven black men and two white women.

Critic Opinion: "Detroit is an imperfect but entirely gripping drama. More context at the front end of the film would have been helpful, but it’s probably impossible to capture all that history in one picture. See it for what is reveals about what’s changed in America’s racial divide over the last 50 years: absolutely nothing." - Liz Braun, Toronto Sun

User Opinion: "Yet, standard criticism feels odd to do for Detroit. Watching a film like this after all that's happened in the United States recently, and especially after last weekend, just adds to the feeling of despair. Yet, I don't think Bigelow wants us to entirely feel despair with how she decides to end this film. Larry's ending feels ambivalent if anything. Detroit is an excellent film, but more importantly, it's necessary. It's necessary to feel this anger while watching it and while watching how the world acts. A powerful film in every sense." - @Poe Blankeron

Reasoning: Detroit is an unnerving film, and at times can almost get a little to brutal and cold, yet it's also a film that feels essential to watch because of the social themes that the film encaptures so well.  By the end of the film I'd reckon it'd be hard for any moral human not to be outraged at the events that happened on the screen in front of them.  The movie is well-acted, with a standout from the terrifying performance of Will Poulter, and it shows the realities of racism in the country and how things haven't changed.  It may be an imperfect film, and a film that needs a bit of hope in its bleakness, but it's still a strong movie.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited December 29, 2017 by The Last Panda

[The Panda]

Number 22

Wonder

 

"When given the choice between being right or being kind choose kind.”

 

My Grade: B

Most Valuable Player: Jacob Tremblay as Auggie

Box Office: 117.4m+

Tomatometer: 85%

Synopsis: Based on the New York Times bestseller, WONDER tells the incredibly inspiring and heartwarming story of August Pullman, a boy with facial differences who enters fifth grade, attending a mainstream elementary school for the first time.

Critic Opinion: "The themes in Wonder are so universal in fact, and so deftly dramatized that I didn’t even cringe when Via’s drama club presents Our Town and, as Emily, she recites the “Take me back up the hill to my grave” speech. As I alluded to earlier, the movie walks a very fine line between mawkish sentimentality and a poignant story. It succeeds rather brilliantly." - Alexandra MacAaron, Women's Voices for Change

User Opinion: "This movie, while not perfect in every way, comes real damn close to being the perfect crowd pleaser. Warm and fuzzy without being sappy, smartly written, and extremely well acted by everyone including soon to be A-list star (mark my words) Tremblay." - @DAJK

Reasoning: Wonder is by no means a perfect movie, it's fairly flawed and at many times digs a little too deep into its sentimentality, but it's a movie that really still manages to work your emotions and make you feel a little more hopeful about where the world can go.  Chewbacca also has a great cameo in this movie, and it rivals his performance in The Last Jedi.  The film has a great message that I think children should hear, even if it at times it feels a little to optimistic for its own good.  I also loved the touches it gave to a few of the other characters, and pointing out some struggles a person without a facial deformity might have in the situations from the movie.  As someone who's not big on sentimental movies like this one, Wonder won me over.

 

 

 

 

Edited December 29, 2017 by The Last Panda

[Ethan Hunt]

Damn so low for Detroit

 

[That One Girl]

wait hold on, Wonder gets a B yet is ahead of a bunch of films with a B+?

[The Panda]

Best Design

Includes Production Design, Costume Design and Hair and Makeup Design

 

Honorable Mention #3

Wonder Woman

 

Honorable Mention #2

Dunkirk

 

Honorable Mention #1

Star Wars: The Last Jedi

 

Co-Runner Up

The Shape of Water

 

Runner Up

Beauty and the Beast

 

Winner

Blade Runner 2049

 

 

Edited December 29, 2017 by The Last Panda

[The Panda]

11 minutes ago, That One Guy said:

wait hold on, Wonder gets a B yet is ahead of a bunch of films with a B+?

I forgot to mention, just because I gave one film a higher grade than another doesn't mean it'll necessarily place higher (don't question the logic, it'll just hurt my brain ) 

[The Panda]

I'll announce two more and then go and get some lunch

 

Number 21

All the Money in the World

 

"Everything has a price. The great struggle in life is finding out that price.”

 

My Grade: B+

Most Valuable Player: Christopher Plummer as J. Paul Getty

Box Office: 5.8m+

Tomatometer: 77%

Synopsis: The story of the kidnapping of 16-year-old John Paul Getty III and the desperate attempt by his devoted mother to convince his billionaire grandfather Jean Paul Getty to pay the ransom.

Critic Opinion: "Well, it turns out that J. Paul Getty is all over “All the Money in the World.” He is the second or third lead and is in multiple scenes, which means that easily 30 percent of the film had to be completely reshot. This represents a remarkable and seamless technical achievement, as well as an impressive artistic achievement for director Ridley Scott and his cast. Plummer delivers brilliance in what had to be record time, and every person sharing a scene with Plummer — Michelle Williams and Mark Wahlberg, in particular — comes in fresh and spontaneous, responding anew to another actor’s completely different energy."

User Opinion: "It's a movie on the verge of greatness bogged down by a clunky screenplay. If the first act was a little tighter and some of the more plot-driven scenes had the dialogue found in character development scenes, it'd have been an all timer because everyone else is on their A-game." - @WrathOfHan

Reasoning: I'm a little reserved with saying this, as I think All the Money in the World should have been able to place much higher in my list, if only it had been edited down to a tighter film overall.  Despite my complaints of the film dragging at different parts, there are so many things to love in this movie, from the performances, to some of the ringing lines and the fun, classical style score.  What's the real highlight of this movie though is Christopher Plummer, and I'm not just saying this because he replaces Kevin Spacey, he is phenomenal in this role and creates one of my favorite characters of the year.  I wanted to just watch Plummer's character the entire time, because he chewed up every scene he was in, he was phenomenal.  It's just the parts without Plummer weren't good enough to pull this movie any higher than here.

 

 

 

 

Edited December 29, 2017 by The Last Panda

[The Panda]

Number 20

Mudbound

 

"You ever miss it sometimes? Being over there. I don't mean being shot at, but sometimes, I actually miss it."

 

My Grade: A-

Most Valuable Player: The Ensemble of the Cast

Box Office: Netflix!!!

Tomatometer: 97%

Synopsis: Two men return home from World War II to work on a farm in rural Mississippi, where they struggle to deal with racism and adjusting to life after war.

Critic Opinion: "As an evocation of the aspiration, violence and tribal animus that forged our national identity, “Mudbound” is an eloquent, often painful, reminder of Faulkner’s own observation that the past is never really past. But Rees isn’t content simply to diagnose a punishing, self-perpetuating cycle: This is a film buoyed by humanism that feels chastening, liberating and healing, all at the same time. As one character notes, love itself is a form of survival. Against all the elements, natural and man-made, Rees makes sure that hope takes pride of place in “Mudbound” and is never entirely swamped." - Ana Hornaday, The Washington Post

User Opinion: "Dis shit is fucking GREAT. Unbelievable ensemble, there's five genuine Oscar worthy performances, as good an ensemble as I can remember. It has a ton to say and it says it in unique way that still feels rooted in classical storytelling. This is a full-blown epic, but with a very real, hard earned grounding that makes it something gut wrenching. I loved it. I think this ages incredibly well, and when we look back in ten years, we think of this as one of the very few first movies to define this year, tbh." - @Cmasterclay

Reasoning: Mudbound isn't just a look at racism in America, but it's also a glance into the effects of PTSD and the struggles women have had to go through in domestic situations.  The film is brilliantly told through its narration techniques and tells an old story in a refreshing way.  The ensemble between the actors is fantastic, with Jason Mitchel and Mary J Blige being standouts in the cast.  The main reason I didn't end up ranking Mudbound higher was the film didn't hold up for me as well as some of the others I am listing above it.  That doesn't take away from the fact that it's poignant piece, filled with symbolism and delicate craft from Dees Rees.

 

 

 

 

[Fancyarcher]

So far it's promising. Blade Runner 2049 is an easy best production design win. 

Edited December 29, 2017 by Fancyarcher

[Ethan Hunt]

Seeing All the Money tonight. Won't be able to watch Mudbound because fuck Netflix

[That One Girl]

13 minutes ago, Ethan Hunt said:

Seeing All the Money tonight. Won't be able to watch Mudbound because fuck Netflix

 

get Netflix you casual

[The Panda]

Best Editing

 

Honorable Mention #3

Darkest Hour

 

Honorable Mention #2

A Ghost Story

 

Honorable Mention #1

Get Out

 

Co-Runner Up

Blade Runner 2049

 

Runner Up

Baby Driver

 

Winner

Dunkirk

 

[The Panda]

Number 19

Darkest Hour

 

"Will you stop interrupting me while I am interrupting you!"

 

My Grade: A-

Most Valuable Player: Gary Oldman as Winston Churchill

Box Office: 11.3m+

Tomatometer: 84%

Synopsis: Within days of becoming Prime Minister of Great Britain, Winston Churchill (Gary Oldman) must face one of his most turbulent and defining trials: exploring a negotiated peace treaty with Nazi Germany, or standing firm to fight for the ideals, liberty and freedom of a nation. As the unstoppable Nazi forces roll across Western Europe and the threat of invasion is imminent, and with an unprepared public, a skeptical King, and his own party plotting against him, Churchill must withstand his darkest hour, rally a nation, and attempt to change the course of world history.

Critic Opinion: "You don’t lose yourself in the film the way you might like, but there is never a second in which Oldman is not riveting. Good thing, too, since there’s barely a second when he isn’t on-screen. He’s exciting, vital — his Churchill isn’t a shuffling old man. He walks with a spring in his step; Wright delights in shots of him practically jogging up massive stairways." - Bill Goodykoontz, Arizona Republic

User Opinion: "I didn’t care much for ATONEMENT but PRIDE & PREJUDICE was fine (and so is DARKEST HOUR). " - @Lor San Tele

Reasoning: Darkest Hour is less of a detailed period piece and more of a showmanship movie for Gary Oldman, who does some of his finest work chewing into the lines of Winston Churchill.  He is not only believable, but your eyes remained glued to him whenever he is on the screen (so for most of the movie).  Oldman owns some classic Churchill speeches, and makes you forget that any other actor ever played Churchill in the past.  It's also a great companion piece to another little movie this year, called Dunkirk.  The movie is also finely edited, with strong technical work and a nice score to bolster Oldman's performance.  When the credits started to roll on this movie I only wanted to see more of Oldman's Churchill, I'd love to see him do Churchill mini-series or something like that.

 

 

 

Edited December 29, 2017 by The Last Panda

[DAJK]

Damn, i wish my list could be as good as yours. Really impressed so far Panda, keep it up! Looking forward to the rest!

[The Panda]

Number 18

The Disaster Artist

 

"This is my movie and this is my life.  Okay be cool."

 

My Grade: A-

Most Valuable Player: James Franco as Tommy Wissaeu

Box Office: 16.9m+

Tomatometer: 92%

Synopsis: When Greg Sestero, an aspiring film actor, meets the weird and mysterious Tommy Wiseau in an acting class, they form a unique friendship and travel to Hollywood to make their dreams come true.

Critic Opinion: "So what could have been a goof becomes something much deeper, and much more rich. “The Disaster Artist” is a loving, fascinating tribute to one of the most bumbling movies ever made, and is in awe of its subject the way it would be if it was taking on one of the best movies ever made. Which, you get the picture, is how Franco thinks about “The Room.”" - Adam Graham, Detroit News

User Opinion: "Room was horrible in so many ways and yet it was massively enjoyable and I could watch it over and over again.  The Disaster Artist gives us a brief and slight glimpse into Tommy and Greg's life and James Franco simply blew me away in this.  Both as an actor and a director, The Disaster Artist is one of the best films of the year. " - @Christmas baumer

Reasoning: Who would have thought that a gloriously terrible movie like the Room could wield a legitimately heartfelt and well-made comedy like The Disaster Artist?  The Disaster Artist is never just a spoof on Tommy Wissaeu, but it really gives you a glimpse into the life and motivations leading up to the creation of the Room.  James Franco is glorious as Wissaeu and you absolutely believe that he's Tommy whenever he's on screen.  The film is hilarious, but never in a way that feels like it's just trying to make a parody out of the creator of the Room, instead it leaves you in a place where you're genuinely rooting for his movie to be a good one.  While I ultimately had to hold the movie back on my list because Franco is a little weak behind the camera, The Disaster Artist is a fabulous time and another winner for A24.