The 2018 Oscars and Ron’s Films of 2017
My friend Ron Wells LOVES film and music.
He loves attending films and concerts, listening to music, analyzing it all, writing his reflections, and then sharing them with friends. I take his emails and shape them into blog posts.
Usually Ron writes a review or two a month as well as the occasional obituary of an important figure and I try to post them. This year he faced a number of personal challenges and I attributed that to the lack of contributions by him to this blog, but he recently revealed in an email that he was not impressed by this year’s films. The acting? Yes, but the films over all left him only “mildly interested.” Nonetheless, it is still interesting to review his notes on the films of 2017 in the context of the race for the Oscar 2018 — which he think Best Picture will be won by Store of Water or 3 Billboards.
So here with plenty of time to watch a few more before the big night Sunday March 4, are a few of the top films according to the Academy and Ron. Who do you think we should be toasting?
Best Picture Nominees for the Oscars:
- Call Me by Your Name – Peter Spears, Luca Guadagnino, Emilie Georges, and Marco Morabito
- Darkest Hour – Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Lisa Bruce, Anthony McCarten, and Douglas Urbanski
- Dunkirk – Emma Thomas and Christopher Nolan
- Get Out – Sean McKittrick, Jason Blum, Edward H. Hamm Jr., and Jordan Peele
- Lady Bird – Scott Rudin, Eli Bush, and Evelyn O’Neill
- Phantom Thread – JoAnne Sellar, Paul Thomas Anderson, Megan Ellison and Daniel Lupi
- The Post – Amy Pascal, Steven Spielberg, and Kristie Macosko Krieger
- The Shape of Water – Guillermo del Toro and J. Miles Dale
- Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri – Graham Broadbent, Pete Czernin, and Martin McDonagh
with a few annotations in italics from me!
1. The Post: Maybe not the best film of the year, but by far the most important. It reminds us that the 4th Estate is a primary protection against an Orwellian future, or even an Orwellian present. Subscribe to a major newspaper today.
2. Molly’s Game: Thank god for Aaron Sorkin. Following in the footsteps of Paddy Chayefsky, his words flow fast like a beautiful river. To hear them said by Jessica Chastain and Idris Elba is pure joy.
3. Lucky: this film is only for those people who had as difficult a year as I had, or those who love Harry Dean Stanton. I loved this film, but I repeat: it is NOT for everyone. Nothing happens in this movie. It is a contemplation on life, death, nothingness, belief, and the meaning of words. When Harry Dean sings, it brought tears to my eyes. Every actor wishes they had a final scene as Harry Dean had in this film. Oh, I love Harry Dean Stanton and this trailer reminded me why! I am looking forward to seeing this!
4. Coco (Animation): I saw only one animated film and foreign film.. Why? Few came to my theaters.
6. The Phantom Thread
12. The Shape of Water: I’ve loved Sally Hawkins forever. Her two films this year reinforced that belief. Though the films were problematic for me, she was magnificent. (Maudie; the Shape of Water). Most nominations with 13.
14. Get Out
23. Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri: Three Billboards: amazing, amazing acting! But what’s the point? Firebomb offices? Throw people from second story windows? Her cause was righteous, but at some point over time guilt/anger must be let go. A minuscule of hope at the end was not enough for me. Third most nominations with 7.
24. Wonderstruck
26. Wind River: Everyone I know loved Wind River. I had a million reasons not to like it (though Jeremey Renner was excellent). Anyway, you should trust my friends and go see this. I may have gotten it wrong on this one.
27. I, Tonya: Child abuse + spousal abuse + poverty+ being uneducated = a human train wreck. Nancy just happened to be on the tracks. It doesn’t exonerate Tonya or her friends, but it explains them. This film upset me. Some people have found it humorous; I didn’t.
So, which films made your Top Ten list? Why film do you think will win the Academy Award for Best Picture?
art predator 