Unlike TV, which I had tons of opinions to share, I am at a loss this year when it comes to the big movies. And from what I can tell, I am not the only one to have had such feelings. Sure, I went through the motions watching the films, and so it goes with this post (which exists primarily to hold on to some vague sense of consistency for this blog).
Why These Weren't On My Best List
This was undoubtedly a great technical film. Like others, I found the film to be emotionally underwhelming.
This was quite good. The idea of renting billboards to stick it to the authorities is original. However, the replay factor is just not there.
Greta Gerwig pulled off an impressive debut. I could relate to the the character's emotional arc. It's easy to take your roots/hometown for granted. Yet, this one slipped away from me when I made my list.
Glamor galore, and still I care not. This was also emotionally underwhelming with a twist that was a little too subtle for my taste. I always thought that style, if done well enough, did not need to be in support of substance. Now I am questioning that notion.
This film just didn't give me anything to hold on to. In the same year, Ken Burns' Vietnam featured the Pentagon papers and I found that to be more intriguing.
Surprisingly good. There is a great father-son moment near the end. However, just as one character breaks it off with another character due to his mission in life, so it is that I must break it off with this film.
Overlooked
This film was packed with great wintry atmosphere and had one of the most tense climaxes I have ever seen. Elizabeth Olsen and Jeremy Renner have an interesting chemistry, no doubt due to The Avengers films. I guess the film is just too bleak to warrant a long-term love affair.
Favorite Moments
The show started in retro black-and-white, complete with snappy old-fashioned announcements. And the celebrities crashing the TCL Chinese screening of a new film was fun. And my best picture favorite won, but I just didn't get as much out of this year's event as some others.
