On the Image

“A house that doesn’t change is a dead house.”

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After a year in which ignorance, intolerance, and hostility dominated the daily discussion, the importance of art and the humanities to the nation has perhaps never been more apparent, and the last year in cinema is a living testament to this idea.

“The Florida Project” is a triumph of empathy, letting viewers spend time with young people that are forced to live in the margins of a society that fails to offer them proper support and means of empowerment. Films like “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” and “Wonder Woman” brought a humanist bent to the big-screen blockbuster, celebrating representation and inspiration, an immensely positive trend we’re seeing sustained with the current success of Ryan Coogler’s transcendent “Black Panther.” Pixar’s “Coco” is a sterling example of a film that fosters empathy through a universal language — music, in its case — and it highlights a beautiful and profound cultural celebration that emphasizes the importance of love and remembrance.

The year also gave us a bunch of other movies! Some of them will go down as great. Others will go down as “Kong: Skull Island.” Almost all of them, however, were screened by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and considered for the 90th Academy Awards. Should a few more Academy members have watched “A Ghost Story” and “Columbus?” Sure. By and large, however, the Oscar nominations are very good and include some of the year’s best work, paving the way for a ceremony that is primed to celebrate love, life, and art.

This piece is meant to be accessible whether you’ve seen all, one, or none of the nominated movies this year, as I’ve broken down my spoiler-free thoughts on most of the biggest categories and highlighted my personal choices in each field.

Let’s begin.

Directing

• “Dunkirk” – Christopher Nolan
• “Get Out” – Jordan Peele
• “Lady Bird” – Greta Gerwig
• “Phantom Thread” – Paul Thomas Anderson
• “The Shape of Water” – Guillermo del Toro

This is a wonderful lineup of directing nominees. Christopher Nolan’s work on “Dunkirk” is the most impressive of his career as it relates to both scale and coherence, as he guides the film’s various escalating narrative threads together through time and space, allowing viewers to ride a continuous crescendo through the film’s entire duration. “Get Out” is an absolutely essential work of modern horror, inextricably blending an impressive command of genre and form with piercingly relevant sociopolitical commentary. This is a movie that feels bottomless; it will be watched, dissected, and interpreted for years and years to come. The endearingly personal touch of “Lady Bird” belongs to Greta Gerwig, whose experiences and sensibilities are woven into the film’s DNA. Her direction is seamlessly smooth and confident to the point of omnipotence, yet her hand remains invisible. Peele and Gerwig have created pictures to rival Alex Garland’s “Ex Machina” in the conversation for best directorial debut of the decade. With “Phantom Thread,” Paul Thomas Anderson has released yet another film in which we get the sense that virtually every single component is aligned with his intentions. If this is truly Daniel Day-Lewis’s final performance, he chose a perfect vessel through which to bid farewell. “The Shape of Water” is a force that feels inevitable this year; it’s a beautiful and heartwarming fairy tale and Guillermo del Toro’s best film since Pan’s Labyrinth, and the Academy has responded in a resounding way, showering the work with thirteen Oscar nominations. Whether it dominates the night or stands as more of a passive presence through the ceremonies, it’s great to have a vision so distinct and complete being held up as one of the year’s best.

My Pick: “Phantom Thread” – Paul Thomas Anderson

Original Screenplay

• “The Big Sick” – Emily V. Gordon, Kumail Nanjiani
• “Get Out” – Jordan Peele
• “Lady Bird” – Greta Gerwig
• “The Shape of Water” – Guillermo del Toro, Vanessa Taylor
• “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” – Martin McDonagh

“Get Out” is built upon an intricately layered and evocative screenplay that introduces scenes and lines that have already become ubiquitous in movie fandom. Jordan Peele has crafted an enduring masterpiece that will (and unequivocally should) win this Oscar. In almost any other year, Greta Gerwig would leave the ceremony with this award for “Lady Bird,” a picture that shifts gears so quickly, so often, and so effectively that it makes viewers eager to surrender to its pace and allow themselves to be guided through its story. “The Big Sick’s” screenplay is a rock-solid and invitingly personal, and it gets the most out of its acting ensemble’s impressive chemistry. Seeming to embrace tropes primarily for their nostalgic resonance, “The Shape of Water” nestles into your consciousness and encourages viewers to identify humanity’s best and worst as it manifests in people and creatures throughout its narrative of love and understanding. Lastly, and I promise I’ll try my best to not let this negativity emerge as a running theme of this piece: I’m honestly not sure what it was about “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri’s” writing that warranted this nomination. I thought that its characters saying things were the worst parts of the movie.

My Pick: “Get Out” – Jordan Peele

Adapted Screenplay

• “Call Me by Your Name” – James Ivory
• “The Disaster Artist” – Scott Neustadter, Michael H. Weber
• “Logan” – Scott Frank, James Mangold, Michael Green
• “Molly’s Game” – Aaron Sorkin
• “Mudbound” – Virgil Williams, Dee Rees

Perhaps no other category sports anything like the vast range of genre we see here. James Ivory’s screenplay for “Call Me by Your Name” seems to stand taller than the rest, as the film’s incredibly textural aesthetic interlocks exquisitely with a script that knows exactly what words to leave unspoken. Scott Neustadter and Michael Weber deserve credit for fashioning “The Disaster Artist’s” script into an oddly inspirational tale that portrays its protagonist with a touching amount of empathy. “Logan’s” narrative unfolds in a way that abandons many tropes common in superhero movies, instead opting to be the closest we’re likely going to get to seeing “The Last of Us” on the big screen. The film’s two-hour-and-twenty-one-minute run time contains some content that is likely geared more towards a regular fan of the “X-Men” series, but, despite minor bloat, everything ties together nicely and culminates in a powerful ending that feels earned even without the context of its prequels. “Molly’s Game” is very, very written by Aaron Sorkin (also making his directorial debut). It’s a wild and entertaining ride that includes a few too many of Sorkin’s signature flourishes, but, as the movie that leans most unapologetically on its screenplay this year, it’s easy to see why it was an attractive pick for a writing nomination. “Mudbound,” brilliantly plotted by Virgil Williams and Dee Rees, is a gorgeous epic at once heartbreakingly intimate in focus and profoundly universal in scope. There’s a cohesive lyricism to its thematic development, and its peaks and valleys have a natural, captivating rhythm.

My Pick: “Call Me by Your Name” – James Ivory

Live Action Short Film

• “DeKalb Elementary” – Reed Van Dyk
• “The Eleven O’Clock” – Derin Seale, Josh Lawson
• “My Nephew Emmett” – Kevin Wilson, Jr.
• “The Silent Child” – Chris Overton, Rachel Shenton
• “Watu Wote/All of Us” – Katja Benrath, Tobias Rosen

I adore this category; every one of these short films is great. “The Eleven O’Clock” is a sharp and amusing skit about an identity mix-up that maximizes the potential of its abbreviated format, packing in the jokes and resolving with a satisfyingly funny payoff. “The Silent Child” is a forebodingly atmospheric but delicately sensitive short that stands as an affecting call towards considering the educational needs of deaf children. “My Nephew Emmett” is a devastatingly emotional historical account of racial oppression in the American south in 1955. Once things are set in motion, its tragic ending feels inevitable, and adding to its potency is the transition between actors and actual primary-source footage towards its conclusion. “Watu Wote: All of Us” is based on the true story of a chartered bus in Kenya that is stopped by a terrorist group. They demand that the Christians on the bus reveal themselves, but the Muslim passengers band together to protect the Christian among them. Also based on a very real event, Reed Van Dyk’s “DeKalb Elementary” portrays a normal day in an Atlanta elementary school that quickly devolves into a scene as tense and chilling as any moment in film all year. That it is currently so sadly, maddeningly relevant heightens its urgency.

My Pick: DeKalb Elementary” – Reed Van Dyk

Animated Short Film

• “Dear Basketball” – Glen Keane, Kobe Bryant
• “Garden Party” – Victor Caire, Gabriel Grapperon
• “Lou” – Dave Mullins, Dana Murray
• “Negative Space” – Max Porter, Ru Kuwahata
• “Revolting Rhymes” – Jakob Schuh, Jan Lachauer

“Dear Basketball” is a very brief and aesthetically pleasant autobiographical portrait of Kobe Bryant’s relationship with his sport. Scored by John Williams and animated by Glen Keane, it stands as an example of a vibrant presentation elevating material that treads conventional waters. “Garden Party” is a simple delight that patiently builds its world before pulling out a twist that spends most of the short bubbling ominously below its surface. To say anything more to someone who hasn’t seen it would be irresponsible. Pixar seems to receive an automatic yearly invitation to this category (I’m certainly not complaining), and this year its submission comes in the form of “Lou,” an anti-bullying tale with an optimistic heart; its personification of a school’s “Lost and Found” bin is by itself worth the nomination. “Negative Space” depicts a boy’s relationship with his father through the art of packing a suitcase. It is the most poetic of the nominees, pairing visual ingenuity with an emotional punch that lands effectively because its lead-in so creatively covers the prerequisite exposition. “Revolting Rhymes” is a collection of Roald Dahl’s twisted alternative fairy tales given life through movement and sound. By far the longest of the nominees (about five-to-six times as long as the rest), its animation and storytelling does the source material sufficient justice without necessarily adding to it.

My Pick: “Garden Party” – Victor Caire, Gabriel Grapperon

Original Score

• “Dunkirk” – Hans Zimmer
• “Phantom Thread” – Jonny Greenwood
• “The Shape of Water” – Alexandre Desplat
• “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” – John Williams
• “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” – Carter Burwell

Now this is a “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” nomination that I can get behind. Carter Burwell’s revitalizing take on western music lends the movie a feeling approaching something Coen-esque, a descriptor also tossed around with varying degrees of materiality in reference to the film’s setting and dark humor. Hans Zimmer’s pulse-pounding, stress-inducing countdown of a score is precisely coordinated with every aspect of Nolan’s picture. Amid the frantic action it can be easy to lose track of where the music ends and where the diegetic sounds of destruction begin. Seemingly every piece of “The Shape of Water” is imbued with a hint of magic, and the soundtrack is no exception. Alexandre Desplat conjures up a type of wordless dialogue that fills the empty space of the picture like water in its iconic “flooded bathroom” scene. John Williams (now 86 years old!) received a nomination for his work on “Star Wars: The Last Jedi,” as he blends the galaxy’s familiar works with a collection of new, subtler themes. Finally — you know why I’m here — it’s time to celebrate one of the decade’s best soundtracks. Jonny Greenwood’s score for “Phantom Thread” is an absolutely gorgeous, excessively luscious, and altogether over-the-top composition that lovingly wraps itself around almost every second of the film. It’s so staggeringly tangible that you’d be forgiven for thinking that it’s something you could reach out and run your hand along. It’s just so, so good.

My Pick: “Phantom Thread” – Jonny Greenwood

Film Editing

• “Baby Driver” – Jonathan Amos, Paul Machliss
• “Dunkirk” – Lee Smith
• “I, Tonya” – Tatiana S. Riegel
• “The Shape of Water” – Sidney Wolinsky
• “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” – Jon Gregory

Edgar Wright’s “Baby Driver” is a film that was forged in the cutting room and owes more to its editors than perhaps any work I’ve seen since “Mad Max: Fury Road” in 2015. Music is its lifeblood; the onscreen action pulses along at the tempo dictated by the soundtrack. Its titular character (a young getaway driver named “Baby”) synchronizes his driving to whatever song he’s currently blasting through his earbuds, and viewers get to tap directly into this invigorating idiosyncrasy. In my eyes, its only serious competitor in this field is Lee Smith’s work on “Dunkirk” (in an ideal world, “Get Out,” edited by Gregory Plotkin, would factor into this discussion as well). A film that makes viewers hold their breaths longer than they thought themselves physically capable, “Dunkirk” is a masterclass of pacing that fundamentally internalizes its thematic motif of a ticking clock. Every second that passes by without calamity is its own victory, though no collection of these moments can overcome the tragic impermanence of survival on the beach. “The Shape of Water” hums along impressively from start to finish, and Sidney Wolinsky’s assembly of the scenes between two silent lovers is impressive in the way that can initially go unnoticed. “I, Tonya” stumbles a bit in its last act, losing some of its confidence and verve that courses through so much of the picture. “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” is also nominated. I don’t have much to say about its editing. It seemed pretty good.

My Pick: “Baby Driver” – Jonathan Amos, Paul Machliss

Cinematography

• “Blade Runner 2049” – Roger Deakins
• “Darkest Hour” – Bruno Delbonnel
• “Dunkirk” – Hoyte van Hoytema
• “Mudbound” – Rachel Morrison
• “The Shape of Water” – Dan Laustsen

Roger Deakins, fourteen-time Oscar nominee, is finally going to take home a gold statue. He and Denis Villeneuve are forming one of the more impressive contemporary director/DP duos, and his work on “Blade Runner 2049” is nothing less than stunning. His stylistic choices seem obvious only because they’re so right. Each one of his vibrantly saturated frames feels like its own composition, and he finds immersively inventive ways to introduce light sources that dance across the screen, adding a sort of dynamic chiaroscuro to the picture. It’s the easy choice this year, but that’s not meant to imply that the other nominated work is at all unimpressive. Hoyte van Hoytema’s signature compressive style gives “Dunkirk” its sprawling brand of claustrophobic desolation, and Rachel Morrison shoots “Mudbound” with a versatile beauty that somehow feels natural and consistent in its portrayal of the American south, a European town in the midst of World War II, and an active aerial dogfight. To address one omission you may have noticed: nobody was eligible to receive a nomination for the sumptuous cinematography of “Phantom Thread,” as DP duties were split between Paul Thomas Anderson and his camera crew. Another unfortunate omission from the race is “A Ghost Story’s” Andrew Droz Palermo, whose Polaroid-like lens draws an ethereal radiance from a world largely grounded in literality.

My Pick: “Blade Runner 2049” – Roger Deakins

Lightning Round: The Acting Awards

Actress in a Supporting Role

• Mary J. Blige – “Mudbound”
• Alison Janney – “I, Tonya”
• Lesley Manville – “Phantom Thread”
• Laurie Metcalf – “Lady Bird”
• Octavia Spencer – “The Shape of Water”

In “Lady Bird,” Laurie Metcalf plays Lady Bird’s mother, Marion McPherson, in a role that she elevates into something so lovingly, painfully, and joyously real that it’s responsible for countless teary-eyed phone calls home during the film’s credits. This is the performance of the year across any and all categories.

My Pick: Laurie Metcalf – “Lady Bird”

Actor in a Supporting Role

• Willem Dafoe – “The Florida Project”
• Woody Harrelson – “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”
• Richard Jenkins – “The Shape of Water”
• Christopher Plummer – “All the Money in the World”
• Sam Rockwell – “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”

As strange as this next sentence feels to read, imagine how I felt when writing it: “The Florida Project” is the “Hail, Caesar!” of 2017’s Oscar field. It’s a modern triumph that was evidently seen by enough of the Academy to be nominated in exactly one category and effectively ignored on every other front. Willem Dafoe was phenomenal; give him, and “The Florida Project,” the Oscar. Make this right.

My Pick: Willem Dafoe – “The Florida Project”

Actress in a Leading Role

• Sally Hawkins – “The Shape of Water”
• Frances McDormand – “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”
• Margot Robbie – “I, Tonya”
• Saoirse Ronan – “Lady Bird”
• Meryl Streep – “The Post”

This race is so tough. Frances McDormand is the heavy favorite, and she carried “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” to a much greater extent than should’ve been necessary. You could go down the list and make a strong case for everyone nominated. My personal pick changes daily, but Saoirse Ronan’s spirited and personal performance as Lady Bird may be the one I revisit the most.

My Pick: Saoirse Ronan – “Lady Bird”

Actor in a Leading Role

• Timothée Chalamet – “Call Me by Your Name”
• Daniel Day-Lewis – “Phantom Thread”
• Daniel Kaluuya – “Get Out”
• Gary Oldman – “Darkest Hour”
• Denzel Washington – “Roman J. Israel, Esq.”

Yes, Gary Oldman was fantastic in “Darkest Hour.” Was he so much better than everyone else that he should be standing head and shoulders above the pack in this race as is currently the case? No, but here we are. My perfect Oscar ceremony includes Daniel Day-Lewis taking home the statue for his deceptively vulnerable final performance as Reynolds Woodcock in “Phantom Thread.”

My Pick: Daniel Day-Lewis – “Phantom Thread”

The Best Picture Race and My Top 25 Films of (Oscar Year) 2017

If you made it to this section, thank you so much for reading, skimming, or rapidly scrolling this far. Below you’ll find the list of my top twenty-five movies eligible for the 90th Academy Awards (Best Picture nominees are denoted by “Δ”). Beginning with the very best…

1. Phantom Thread Δ
2. The Florida Project
3. A Ghost Story
4. Columbus
5. Get Out Δ
6. Blade Runner 2049
7. The Square
8. Call Me by Your Name Δ
9. It Comes At Night
10. The Beguiled
11. Lady Bird Δ
12. The Killing of a Sacred Deer
13. Mudbound
14. Dunkirk Δ
15. Coco
16. Personal Shopper
17. Good Time
18. The Shape of Water Δ
19. The Post Δ
20. Star Wars: The Last Jedi
21. The Disaster Artist
22. Wonder Woman
23. The Meyerowitz Stores
24. Wind River
25. I, Tonya

Remaining Best Picture nominees: “Darkest Hour” is number twenty-nine and “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” is number forty-three.