1) Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri.
I was blown away by this searing, yet ultimately humane chronicle of an angry woman seeking justice for her murdered daughter. Frances McDor- mand could win her second Academy Award for best actress, while co-stars Woody Harrelson and Sam Rockwell, as well as director-screenwriter Martin McDonagh also have a shot at the gold.
2) Dunkirk and Darkest
Hour.Two extraordinary, pulse-pounding dramas that quite coincidentally cover the same World War II events from different perspectives. Acclaimed director Christopher Nolan, who has not been nominated for an Oscar before, might deservedly win this year for the former. As Winston Churchill inDark- est Hour, Gary Oldman is virtually guaranteed to win Best Actor.
3) The Shape of Water, Okja andWonder-
struck. A trio of unique fantasies that owe more than a little to the 1980s films of Steven Spielberg. Two of them feature Spielbergian child protagonists and unusually, two of them feature leading characters who are deaf and/or
mute.The Shape of Water is hands down 2017’s queerest movie, but all three are visually stylish and unforgettable.
4) Columbus andLady Bird. A pair of dramas that spotlight two offbeat American cities: Columbus, Indiana and Sacramento, California, respectively. These are the settings for the coming of age of two young women as well as an adult, Asian-American man (beautifully played byStar Trek’s John Cho) coping with his father’s declining health. The singularly-named Kogonada and actress Greta Gerwig both make assured, accomplished directorial debuts.
5) Mother! Darren Aronofsky’s audacious,
near-brilliant theological/ecological thriller was poorly advertised and widely misun- derstood. Now on home video, I encourage thinking adults to check it out, as well as the full-throttle performances of Jennifer Lawrence, Javier Bardem and a deliciously sinister Michelle Pfeiffer.
JANUARY 2018 | RAGE monthly
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