Less Sure Bets

Some of the films that I have previewed that I am less certain will get nominations.



Movie: First Reformed
Nominated for: Update - Best Original Screenplay

How I watched: Amazon Prime
When I fell asleep: Nope. I watched it early.
When it had me: Unexpected occurrences!
When it lost me: Belly-gate
What I have to say: This was a compelling look at old church contrasted with new church, grieving, and when to fight versus when to let go. At one point a six months along pregnant woman lies down on her belly and I was so completely taken out of the movie that I quit trusting the film maker! (Am I a difficult viewer? Yes, sometimes.) The ending was a real head-shaker which keeps me from loving it as a whole even though I was very engaged for most of the film.





Movie: Leave No Trace
Nominated for: Update - No kudos for this one
How I watched: Amazon Prime
When I fell asleep: During the last ten minutes! I had to run it back but not by much.
When it had me: Watching a child run a drill to not be found in the woods.
When it lost me: I don't think it did
What I have to say: This was a quiet and small film about a father and daughter's relationship and about the difficulty of trying to live outside of society's expectations. The movie felt honest and heartfelt, the direction was competent. It sort of feels too small to get notice, but you never know.






Movie: You Were Never Really Here
Nominated for: Update - As I feared, no love form the Academy
How I watched: Amazon Prime
When I fell asleep: Not once
When it had me: Right from the start
When it lost me: Never
What I have to say: This film deals with some pretty ugly aspects of humanity but it manages to do so in a way that it doesn't force you to wallow around in the muck. The director lets you know what's up without torturing you about it which made me feel really trusting of the director, Lynne Ramsay. I am in LOVE with the editing of this movie. The use of flashbacks as emotional backstory rather than as traditional plot driven flashbacks is something I am super into right now; all I want to do is edit movies this way. Joaquin Phoenix's acting is terrific and the ending scene packs a punch that took my breath away. (This film is too violent for some of my friends.) This one is on my list of favorites for the year but I worry that it came out too early in the year to get notice.