Flagship Entry! Four for Best Picture

Movie: Dunkirk
Nominated for: Best Picture, Cinematography, Directing, Editing, Music, Production Design, Sound Editing and Sound Mixing
How I watched: At home, on demand, not ideal for this film
When I fell asleep: Around the 45 minute mark
Thoughts: I could tell the acting was good. The framework they used for setting up the story seemed confusing to me. Not even Tom Hardy could make me care ultimately how this film ended.



Movie: Ladybird
Nominated for: Best Picture, Directing, Acting (Laurie Metcalf, Saoirse Ronan), Writing
How I watched: At the movies, with a friend
When I fell asleep: I didn't! 
Thoughts: This movie ached with truth. Small truth, messy truth, seemingly insignificant truth, painful family truth. It's not a big sweeping movie but it holds you intimately close and you feel like it was time well spent.


Movie: The Shape of Water
Nominated for: Best Picture, Cinematography, Acting (Sally Hawkins, Octavia Spencer), Costume Design, Directing, Editing, Music, Production Design, Sound Editing, Sound Mixing, Writing
How I watched: At the movies, with friends
When I fell asleep: I didn't, but some guy in the theatre did and his snores were enough to make everyone else in the theatre have a good laugh.
Thoughts: Fantastical! Well acted! Satisfying! Beautiful! Unique! It was an all around well made movie and super enjoyable. There was something just barely off about it that kept it from being the greatest movie of the year for me.  The tone was inconsistent? Or it was trying too hard? I don't know why it's not my number one but I don't care because I totally loved watching it!



Movie: Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Nominated for: Best Picture, Acting (Woody Harrelson, Sam Rockwell, Frances McDormand), Editing, Music, Writing
When I fell asleep: Not even for a second!
Thoughts: The performances were amazing and the story-telling was unique. Somehow the characters in this movie managed to be irreverent and edgy, deeply flawed, deeply relatable, funny and both larger than life and completely realistically human. I'm not sure how you balance all of those, but I found it exhilarating and impressive. I was on the edge of my seat to see what would be thrown at me next while feeling a mixture of dread and delight! How much more can you wish for?