Gideon58's Reviews

Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri
An unapologetic and unpredictable story, bold direction, and some powerhouse performances are the primary ingredients that make 2017's Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri, a blistering cinematic rollercoaster that won four Golden Golden Globes, including Best Motion Picture Drama.

Frances McDormand stars as Mildred Hayes, a woman whose daughter was brutally raped and murdered almost a year ago and has heard nothing from the Ebbing Police Department regarding her daughter's case in almost seven months. Feeling the police have forgotten about her daughter, Mildred lashes out by paying $5000 to rent out three billboards with a boldly painted message to the police, singling out Police Chief Willoughby (Woody Harrelson), a hard-working officer who is dying of cancer.

Director and screenwriter Martin McDonough, who is responsible for one film I hated (In Bruges) and one I loved (Seven Psychopaths) has constructed a bold and singularly unique motion picture experience that's never quite sure if it wants to be a black comedy or a searing docudrama, but the one thing that this story guarantees is complete unpredictability...this story never went anywhere I thought it was going to go and therefore I was galvanized to the screen, either dropping my jaw or holding my breath, not to mention some pretty consistent laughs that I almost felt guilty about. It's been awhile since a movie ran roughshod with my emotions the way this one did.

In addition to its unpredictability, the other success of this story is making us understand and sympathize with every single character involved. Needless to say, we understand Mildred's feelings that the police have forgotten about her daughter, but we also understand the repercussions of these billboards and how they systematically tear the town apart. We are thrown surprise layers when we meet Mildred's ex-husband, who left her for a 19-year old and we have to wonder how much of her bitterness is rooted in that. Not to mention we get to meet Mildred's daughter in a flashback, a brief but telling scene that is as shocking and unpredictable as the rest of this emotionally raw story.

And even though we understand Mildred and her actions to a point, we also completely understand the consequences of her actions and how it affects the rest of Ebbing, especially Chief Willoughby and his family, his slightly dim but devoted officer, Jason (Sam Rockwell), and even Mildred's son, who is suffering for his mother's actions in ways that get past Mildred. There are a couple of small plot points that I had trouble reconciling, but to discuss them further would spoil this intricate story for those who haven't seen it. I will say these plot points did nothing to keep him from trying to untie the knots that my stomach was in or fighting the tears I fought. We keep waiting for answers that never come but we understand why and forgive.

McDonaugh's direction is in-your face and also has its own sense of unpredictability...there are shocking moments of violence on different levels that actually produced audible gasps from this reviewer. In addition to McDonaugh's screenplay, the film also won a Globe for Frances McDormand, brilliant as the ticking time bomb that is Mildred, a character impossible to predict or take your eyes off of. Sam Rockwell also won a Globe for his accustomed explosive and unhinged performance as the bigoted but sincere Jason and Harrelson does a real movie star turn as the police chief. Mention should also be made of Peter Dinklage as a friend of Jason, Oscar nominee Lucas Hedges (Manchester By the Sea) as Mildred's son, and Zeljko Ivanek as the desk sergeant.

The film features striking cinematography, editing, and a properly evocative music score. The Globes really got this one right and I hope McDormand and Rockwell are remembered at Oscar time. A motion picture experience that will leave you limp.

Collateral Beauty
Since joining this forum, I have watched a lot of movies that revolved around the grieving process but I found 2016's Collateral Beauty a prickly and moving cinematic journey that is an examination of the grieving process at a different and challenging level, even if it's a bit of a cheat at times.

Will Smith heads a terrific ensemble cast as Howard, the co-owner of an advertising empire whose life has gone into a tailspin two years after the death of his six year old daughter. Howard continues to go to work every day but his heart and his head aren't in it causing serious repercussions on the business. As the business quietly begins circling the drain, Howard has cut off communication completely and begins seeking answers to his grief by writing letters to entities like love, death, and time.

Whit (Edward Norton), Claire (Kate Winslet), and Simon (Michael Pena) are three of Howard's business partners who feel for what he is going through but have issues of their own, primarily watching their business being destroyed because major deals cannot be executed without Howard's input, so after we learn that Howard has "terrorized" grief counselors, the partners decide to go in a different direction and they hire three actors (Helen Mirren, Keira Knightley, Jacob Latimore) to go to Howard pretending to be time, love, and death and talk to Howard about the letters they received from him.

This story was a unique screen journey anchored by Allen Loeb's quirky and edgy screenplay which initially has sort of a Woody Allen sensibility to it, taking very realistic story elements and running roughshod over them with fantasy trimmings that don't wash as cleanly as they should. I found myself intrigued by the idea of these actors taking on this ultimate acting challenge while simultaneously wondering if doing this would drive Howard into total insanity since his competency is already in question. I understand that Howard's partners are concerned about their business, but I had to wonder if there was an element of danger in what they were doing.

The danger of this charade becomes a through line as we do find Howard seeking more realistic help in the form of a support group led by a woman (Oscar nominee Naomie Harris) who finds Howard a constant struggle but refuses to give up on him. This story approaches the subject of death and grief with a kind risky fragility that teeters on the edge of storytelling taste, but wraps to a very surprising and very satisfactory conclusion. Before that, we are enchanted as each of the three actors develop interesting personal connections with Whit, Claire, and Simon.

David Frankel's direction is detailed enough to allow the viewer to forgive small plot holes and must also give a nod to Andrew Marcus' editing and Theodore Shapiro's lush music score. Frankel gets some strong work from his hand-picked cast. Will Smith has not moved me this way since The Pursuit of Happyness and Norton, Winslet (doing another perfect American accent), Pena,and Mirren also make every moment they have onscreen count. A compelling cinematic experience that might have you scratching your head at times, but the final ten minutes make any confusions the viewer might have had worth it.

8MM
8MM is an overindulgent and over the top "thriller" from 1999 that attempts Hitchcock-like suspense but found me stifling the occasional yawn due to a swiss cheese screenplay, lethargic direction, and an overwrought performance from its leading mam.

Tom Wells (Nicolas Cage) is a private investigator who is hired by a billionaire's widow to verify the authenticity of an alleged snuff film the woman found in her husband's vault. Her primary interest is that Wells find out if the young woman in the film is alive because she appears to have been murdered in the film.

Considering the subject matter, this film should have been a lot more interesting than it was, yet on the other hand, that might have been exactly the problem...pornography on film itself is a dead industry and the idea of the underground snuff film is practically an urban legend, but apparently someone thought that a story revolving around underground porn would be titillating enough to make a compelling film.

Unfortunately, Andrew Kevin Walker's screenplay is not as complex as he thinks it is and has plot holes you can drive a truck through. I was confused by the fact that this wealthy widow was more concerned about the girl in this film than she was about why her husband had the film in the first place. Not to mention, the unlimited financial assistance she provides Wells to get to the bottom of this and as confused as Wells was, I had figured out a major part of what was going on about ten minutes in and that's not good when you're dealing with a film that's two hours long. It's hard to get behind this detective as well. When he's at home pretending not to smoke in front of his devoted wife (Catherine Keener), he appears to be all about his family, who he ends up practically throwing under a bus in favor of this investigation.

Joel Schumacher's leaden directorial hand is no help either, telegraphing everything that's going to happen with the camera rather than letting the story do its part of the work. Schumacher's frantic camerawork should have made for a more economic story, but somehow this film is still about 20 minutes longer than it needs to be. Schumacher should have spent a little less time trying to be Hitchcock and concentrated on his actors a little more. Nicolas Cage is a startling combination of stone-faced and overwrought here and even James Gandolfini grated on my nerves. I did enjoy Joaquin Phoenix as an adult bookstore employee and Peter Stormare as the bad guy, but this movie was just too much of everything, produced unintentional laughs, and it went on forever. Even the music was creepy and intrusive. I suspect it's movies like this one that led to all the Cage hate I see on this site.

I consider this to be Brooks' best film. I really like Modern Romance, Lost in America and thought Defending Your Life was just slightly above average, but this film was a joy. The eyebrow raising stuff you refer to, was it the exchange with the two siblings about Freudian themes when Brooks' character "calls him out"? a bit for being so horrified and disturbed?

I remember that stuck out in my head and gave me a chuckle.

I was actually talking about the inferences to an incestuous relationship between the two leading characters. I guess what's eyebrow-raising is in the eye of the beholder.

Lady Bird
A 2017 Best Picture nominee, Lady Bird is a an engaging coming of age comedy-drama that perhaps tries to cover a little too much territory, but works thanks to sparkling direction and some on-target performances.

Saoirse Ronan, so memorable a few years ago in The Lovely Bones, lights up the screen as Christine "Lady Bird" Johnson, a free-spirited Sacramento high school senior who feels like a prisoner in her life, whether at her uptight Catholic school or at home with her rigid mother and condescending older brother criticizing everything she does. The story follows Lady Bird through her first real romances, her opportunity to becomes one of the "cool kids", and her number one mission: getting into a college as far away from Sacramento that she can.

Writer-director Greta Gerwig has crafted a screenplay that perhaps tries to cover a little too much territory, resulting in the occasional slow spot. The subplot revolving Lady Bird's father and his bouts with unemployment and depression weighs the story down a bit, but where Gerwig really triumphs is in the creation of this central character...we understand and absolutely adore Lady Bird from the moment we meet her. This is a character we understand and have to giggle at because as we watch some of her outrageous behavior, we realize that this young lady isn't really as miserable as she claims to be. This comes out clear in the very complex relationship she has with her mother. We understand completely as Lady Bird blames her mother for everything wrong in her life during one scene and defending her to anyone who says anything bad about her the next.

Director Gerwig also scores in creating a searingly realistic teenage atmosphere here...I love all the scenes in the proper Catholic school where every time Gerwig turned her camera on the students, there were always at least pair of students staring out the window or at each other or at anything than what they were supposed to be doing. I was also impressed that Gerwig didn't make all of Lady Bird's teachers heartless monsters...no Sister Mary discipline with the steel ruler. These people were sensitive and sincere about what they were doing and often took more from the students than they deserved. And on a lesser note, I was also impressed with the scenes revolving around the school musical...I loved that Gerwig had the class to have the school doing a Stephen Sondheim musical instead of Oklahoma!.

Gerwig shows a real talent as a filmmaker here and I found her direction slightly superior to her screenplay, I'm behind the Oscar nominations she received for her work, though I really don't see her winning. I also think Gerwig should remain behind the camera. My only exposure to her onscreen was the Russell Brand remake of Arthur and I thought she was dreadful. I think she may have found her niche in this business.

Ronan's unhinged performance earned her a Lead Actress nomination and Laurie Metcalf's beautifully understated performance as Lady Bird's mother deserves to win the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for which she's been nominated. Also loved Lucas Hedges as boyfriend Danny, Tracy Letts as Lady Bird's dad, and Beanie Feldstein as her BFF Julie. The film is beautifully photographed and Jon Brion's music perfectly frames the story. Fans of the movie Juno will have a head start here.

Bringing Up Baby
The performances by Cary Grant and Katharine Hepburn, cast radically against type, are the main reason the 1938 classic Bringing Up Baby is still viable entertainment,

Grant plays David Huxley, a tightly wound zoologist who is working diligently at procuring a one million dollar donation for his museum, who finds his mission and his life endlessly complicated by his meeting a wealthy and flighty socialite named Susan Vance (Hepburn) who falls for David instantly and goes to some serious extremes to make the man forget his fiancee.

Fans of the 1972 Peter Bogdanovich comedy What's Up Doc? will recognize this story almost immediately as it was clearly the inspiration for the Barbra Streisand/Ryan O'Neal comedy. Screenwriters Dudley Nichols and Hagar Wilde have crafted a screenplay that, on its own, is pretty standard stuff, but it is what director Howard Hawks and his stars do with this story is what makes it so special.

Howard Hawks takes a conventional story and films it at breakneck speed and makes his offbeat casting choices in the leads even more effective...Grant and Hepburn spend a lot of their time onscreen chasing animals, tripping and falling over each other, and getting wet and dirty. The other special element in this silly battle of the sexes is the reversal of the roles here. It was fun and probably a little daring back in 1938 to see the Susan character doing the chasing, but with Hepburn playing the role, we totally buy it.

Grant and Hepburn are a comedic joy here, one of four films that they did together. They are so funny in this movie that you almost don't notice how completely annoying most of the supporting cast is. Grant's sexy nerd is just as ingratiating as is Hepburn's goofy persistence . Grant and Hepburn are the whole show here, and for fans of either star, this film is a must that still holds up.

I, Tonya
The Oscar-nominated performances of Margot Robbie and Allison Janney do make the over-the-top 2017 docudrama I, Tonya worth a look.

Robbie gives a full bodied performance as Tonya Harding, the trailer trash from Portland who grew up to be an Olympic skater but found her skating career derailed when she was accused of planning the attack on fellow skater Nancy Kerrigan, which resulted in a broken knee for her. The film introduces Tonya as a pre-schooler being shoved onto the ice by her abusive mother (Janney) and follows her through her romance and marriage to the equally abusive Jeff Gillooly (Sebastiani Stan), through the attack on Kerrigan, referred to here as "the incident", and beyond.

Director Craig Gillespie does bring a semblance of style and imagination to this now legendary story in sports history that probably needed some sort of tweaking to interest 2017 movie audiences. I liked the way Gillespie split up the narration of the film between Tonya and Jeff and actually incorporated into the story that was being told onscreen, which involved some innovative camerawork and some tricky editing that kept this reviewer on his toes and helped to elevate this above the level of a Lifetime TV movie.

Unfortunately, Steven Rogers' screenplay paints Harding as this innocent saint who spent her whole life being abused and misunderstood. The screenplay finds her being verbally and emotionally abused by her mother whose anger toward her daughter seems unmotivated and verbally and physically abused by Jeff, who comes off as being jealous of the attention Tonya was getting because of the Olympics. The relationship between Tonya and Jeff reminded me a lot of the relationship between Dorothy Stratten and Paul Snider in Star 80...a woman trapped in a relationship with a man she really didn't need and a man who felt his life was pointless without her.

It is the combination of Rogers' hard to swallow screenplay and Gillespie's often maniacal direction that makes it hard to take anything that happens in this film seriously. We see Tonya's mother throw a steak knife into Tonya's arm for no reason and without remorse. After getting beaten mercilessly by Jeff, we scratch our heads and wonder why when she has a chance to get back to the Olympics, she says she can't do it without him, even though a few minutes earlier we had seen her calling cops and installing restraining orders. And because all of this is so hard to believe, it is also hard to believe that Tonya was completely clueless regarding the attach on Kerrigan and whatever you know about these events or how you feel about them, this film will probably not change them.

Margot Robbie finally gets a role that she can sink her teeth into and she runs with it. Robbie has not impressed as an actress prior to this, but she proved to be an actress of substance and I'm sure a strong assist from Gillespie had a lot to do with it. Janney is superb, as always, though the character is so unlikable it's hard to invest and Stan does a star making turn as Jeff. It's melodramatic and over the top, but it's never boring. And may I say I find the title a little pretentious?

I, Tonya just looks stupid, but thank you for enduring it, having a few painful laughs (?) and reviewing it.

OK, that's in line with what I thought, too..the brother being a catalyst to bring it out into the open.

Lovely to Look At
One of MGM's nearly forgotten gems, 1952's Lovely to Look At is a splashy and sophisticated musical romp that provides just about everything that lovers of MGM musicals have come to expect from the famed Dream Factory.

Al (Red Skelton), Tony (Howard Keel), and Jerry (Gower Champion) are trying to raise money to produce a Broadway show when they learn that Al's Aunt Roberta has passed away and has left him half ownership of an elegant fashion house in Paris, so the three fly to Paris to sell their half of the shop so they can use it to invest in their show.

Upon arriving in Gay Paree, Al is instantly smitten with Stephanie (Kathryn Grayson) the adopted daughter of Aunt Roberta who now runs the shop with her sister, Clarisse (Marge Champion). Though Al falls for Stephanie, she only has eyes for Tony, who, upon learning that Roberta's is having financial troubles, decides to save the shop by producing an elaborate fashion show/stage musical. Throw into the mix Tony's girlfriend Bubbles (Ann Miller) who follows our boys to Paris and you have all the ingredients for an MGM musical feast.

If this story sounds familiar, it's because this musical is a re-thinking of the Broadway musical Roberta, which originally came to the screen in 1935 with Irene Dunne, Fred Astaire, and Ginger Rogers. Of course, the screenplay by George Wells and Harry Ruby tweaks the original story by having our leading men be Broadway producers in order for MGM to tailor the film to their stable of talent, a lot of whom had worked together before this film and would work with each other after this one.

This would be the second of three films that Howard Keel and Kathryn Grayson made together, who once again prove that their screen and vocal chemistry was no accident. Their characters in this film are a little more sophisticated than I expected and both actors, Grayson in particular, get to stretch themselves as performers. Grayson even does a drunk scene, something I've never seen from her and she actually pulls it off and even if she didn't, whenever these two open their mouths to sing together, you forget anything wrong that's going on.

The other big sell is the iconic Jerome Kern score which includes Miller's solo "I'll Be Hard to Handle", Grayson's "Yesterdays", Keel and Grayson's fantasy rendition of the title tune and we get two different takes on perhaps the most famous song in the score, "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes"...there's a sultry vocal version by Grayson and a beautiful pas de deux danced by Marge and Gower Champion, a gifted dancing pair who could have been the next Astaire and Rogers.

Red Skelton proved to be a charming leading man and is only allowed a brief moment near the beginning of the final act to show glimpses of the future TV clown he would become. Ann Miller's role was kind of thankless though it was a nice change of pace to see her playing a character who wasn't dumb as a box of rocks. Must also give a shout out to classic movie costumer Adrian for the stunning fashions featured in the elaborate musical finale. Grayson, Keel, Miller, and Kurt Kazner would all reunite in Kiss Me Kate and if you liked that movie, you'll like this one too.

The Post
Arguably cinema's greatest storyteller, Steven Spielberg proves that he still knows how to bring compelling fact-based entertainment to the screen in The Post, an elaborately mounted docudrama that covers some prickly subject matter like the senselessness of war and the sanctity of the First Amendment.

This almost epic story begins back in 1966 during the Vietnam War when a reporter named Daniel Ellsberg managed to get his hands on an enormous study of the justification of the war which would eventually become known as The Pentagon Papers, a study that revealed a cover-up by the federal government trying to legitimize U.S. involvement in wars that we had absolutely no chance of winning and still sending thousands of our soldiers over there to perhaps die in vain. Washington Post Editor-in-Chief Ben Bradlee and the the Post's publisher, Katherine Graham then find themselves in a battle of wills with the United States Government and with the New York Times when the opportunity to publish these papers in the Post becomes an option.

More than anything, this film is a triumph for its director. Spielberg's clear mission in bringing this story to the screen is his combined respect and anger regarding the subject matter. There is a definite leaning in the way this story is told as the story definitely seems to be told with a bias toward The Washington Post and the shark-infested waters that they were swimming into here. The earth-shattering impact that these papers would have on everyone involved here are made clear through stylish directorial touches from Spielberg...from the reporter's initial meeting with Ellsberg and seeing the papers for the first time to him having the buy an extra plane ticket to transport the papers back to DC to the staffers trying to piece together the study with the papers spread all over Ben Bradlee's living room, we know that these papers are going to have an permanent effect on journalism and freedom of the press that will be hard to measure.

And though I didn't really understand why the papers were packaged out of order and that the Post staffers had to figure out what went with what, I found this to be one of the most entertaining aspects of the story. Watching the staffers' passion for what they had to do was made all the more ingratiating by the fact that their mission had a clock on it. And just when we thought that was enough, legal ramifications rear their ugly head that could put Bradlee and Graham in prison.

I was also intrigued by Spielberg's take on these two central characters, especially Katherine Graham. I loved the power that this woman clearly had in a business that she had inherited from her father and husband and learned about it after it had fallen in her lap and what she didn't know, she depended on Bradlee to inform her whose passion for the paper is as deep as Katherine's. I love the final shot of the two of them in the press assembly room reveling in the glory of what they do. Also loved Spielberg's attention to period detail...the news footage of Walter Cronkite and Daniel Shorr...can't remember the last time I saw Daniel Shorr anywhere. The drama of deciding whether or not to publish while the publishing process was already underway totally worked thanks to some crackerjack editing.

And with all this, Spielberg managed to get some impressive performances out of his terrific cast. Streep's nicely understated work as Katherine Graham earned her an unprecedented 21st Oscar nomination and Hanks brings a humanity to Bradlee that Jason Robards didn't. Also have to give a shout out to Bruce Greenwood who does standout work as Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara. But the actors serve the story, which is Spielberg's vision come to fruition. Needless to say, this film would make an interesting double bill with All the President's Men.

The Campaign
The 2012 comedy The Campaign isn't big on originality, but the film delivers laughs thanks to breezy direction and a terrific cast.

Will Ferrell stars as Cam Brady, a North Caroina congressman with a questionable moral compass who is running for his fifth unopposed term, but a pair of billionaire businessmen brothers (Dan Aykroyd, John Lithgow) persuade a local nerd named Marty Huggins (Zach Galifianakis) to run against the reprehensible Brady.

I didn't really realize it as I was watching it, but there's a lot of stuff in Chris Henchy and Shawn Harwell's screenplay that really walks the line of good taste. Yes, politicians do and say a lot of stupid things and this movie really brings that message home with a sledgehammer. At one point, we find the old stereotype of politicians kissing babies mangled beyond recognition to the point where we don't know if our jaws should be dropped in shock or should we be laughing until our sides hurt. I can't lie, I was laughing...I don't know what it was about this story, but I found myself laughing a lot more than this movie really deserved. I actually laughed when Cam Brady punched a baby in the face.

Jay Roach (Meet the Parents) provides breezy direction and gets some solid performances from his cast. Will Ferrell completely invests in the idiotic character he is asked to portray here and proves that he can still bring the funny. Galifianakis is a charmer and I loved Aykroyd and Lithgow, whose characters reminded me so much of the Duke Brothers in Trading Places.

Katherine LaNasa was a refreshing casting choice as Cam's duplicitous wife and Jason Sudekis made the most of his relatively straight role as Brady's campaign manager. Kudos to Brian Cox too, very funny as Marty's father and Dylan McDermott as a slick spin master hired by the evil brothers. There are also cameos by Wolf Blitzer and Chris Matthews and the story pretty much goes where you expect it , but the manic journey to the conclusion does provide laughs.

The Shape of Water
It's a little bit science fiction, a little bit character study, a little bit love story, but the 2017 film The Shape of Water is definitely 100 % dazzling and original entertainment unlike anything I've ever seen and is the frontrunner for the Oscar for Best Picture and with good reason.

It's 1962 where we meet Elisa (Sally Hawkins), a mute housekeeper at an important research facility who actually develops a relationship with an amphibious creature who has brought to the facility by a military representative (Michael Shannon) for study and eventual destruction. There is also a Russian scientist (Michael Stuhlberg) who has been sent to the facility to destroy the creature but is trying to get out of the assignment because of the belief that this creature has intelligence and the ability to communicate with human beings. As Elisa becomes aware of what is going to happen to the creature, she makes it her mission to save him and finds allies in the Russian scientist, a lonely gay artist/neighbor (Richard Jenkins), and a co-worker of Elisa's (Octavia Spencer).

Director and co-screenwriter Guillermo Del Toro has crafted a sometimes shocking and completely riveting story that takes a complete 180 from the direction to which it initially seems to be going. A film that initially seems to be a loving homage to science fiction films of the 50's turns out to be anything but as we watch a creature cast a spell over characters in the film that should be terrified of him. Del Toro puts us on the creature's side almost immediately by having the creature abused by the military and the researchers and by his not understanding what is happening to him. We are then thrilled when Elisa introduces the creature to the joys of hard boiled eggs and the love story of the year is born.

Del Toro's direction is detail-oriented as is his attention to period detail. The dark look the film has is appropriate for the story and Del Toro never forgets that the story is set in 1962 without beating us over the head with it. We get one scene of a diner employee asking a black couple to leave his establishment and we move back to the story at hand. And it goes without saying that Del Toro really scores in the creation of the two characters at the core of this story. Elisa is a lovely and loving character who makes everything shes feeling crystal clear without saying a word and watching the creature slowly beginning to relate and understand and eventually love her was an absolute joy to watch.

Sally Hawkins' Oscar-nominated performance as Elisa is luminous and Michael Shanning is nothing short of bone-chilling producing one of the best cinematic villains I've seen in a while...hissable but three-dimensional and Richard Jenkins steals every scene he's in, a performance that earned him a supporting nomination. The film has a gloriously gothic look and features spectacular art direction/set (loved the Cadillac showroom), editing, sound, and an absolutely fabulous musical score that ran the gamut from genres to time periods. This film was like nothing I've ever seen and the finale had me grinning from ear to ear and wiping tears from my eyes.

Nice review. I like Campbell Scott in everything I've seen him in. My favorite is Roger Dodger. He inhabits a POS really well.

I've noticed that you've been exploring my review thread, Joel...it's flattering to still get reps on stuff I wrote years ago, thanks a lot.

I'm going to watch both The Post and The Shape of Water as soon as they are available on DVD. Glad to see you think highly of both of them.

You and Citizen are among my favorite reviewers. Red Triangle reviews are fun, too. He's the YTYD gent, here on the forum.

I have seen five of the nine films nominated for Best Picture so far and right now my vote is for The Shape of Water.

Phantom Thread
Paul Thomas Anderson enters a bold new phase of his artistry with a 2017 confection called Phantom Thread which has earned an Oscar nomination for Best Picture and could win Daniel Day-Lewis an unprecedented fourth Oscar for Outstanding Lead Actor.

This film is nothing like anything Anderson has ever done but everything works here. Daniel Day Lewis plays Reynolds Woodcock, a dress designer in 1950's London who finds himself attracted to a waitress named Alma (Vicky Krieps) who quickly becomes his muse and lover much to the consternation of his fiercely loyal assistant, Cyril (Lesley Manville).

Anderson, the man behind contemporary dramas like Boogie Nights and Magnolia has never really been known for traditional period pieces, but this initial effort does not indicate that in any way. This is an exquisitely mounted romantic drama and character study that looks at love and obsession and its effect on artistic temperament. Despite all of the elegant trappings provided here, the most fascinating aspect of this movie is the three central characters that Anderson created for this story.

Woodcock is an artist, first and foremost, and there is nothing more important than his work as a designer and his process, which Cyril understands but Alma does not. The tension between Alma and Cyril sizzles from the beginning as we try to see Alma change something she can't possibly change but is not deterred in her mission to do so nevertheless. Every time the three characters sit down at the dinner table to share a meal you can cut the tension with a knife. The constant battle for Alma to make Reynolds her own is the seemingly futile through line that keeps this story humming.

The backstory seems a little rushed...we see Reynolds involved with another model at the beginning of the movie who disappears with no explanation and we get absolutely know hint about Alma's life before meeting Reynolds, which initially bothered me but I found the main story so compelling that I was eventually able to let this go.

The film features handsome production values especially cinematography, some lovely costumes, and a lush musical score that help to make this basically simple story all the more inviting. Daniel Day-Lewis gives a quietly brilliant performance as Woodcock, a rich performance where the actor effectively displays a gamut of emotions without any histrionics. The character actually only raises his voice in one scene and the actor completely invests in a clearly unsympathetic character. There's a terrific moment where his head is lowered and he looks around the room without raising his head, using his eyes only. Kriegs is charming as Alma and Manville is nothing short of spectacular with her beautifully internalized Cyril, a character who works diligently at not letting anyone know her exact feelings about anything. This film is a triumph for its writer and director who might have a shot at the Oscar that has alluded him.