If I Were an Academy Member
By David Mumpower
February 26, 2017
BoxOfficeProphets.com
1) Arrival
I once read a critic’s description of Civil War by Guns ‘n’ Roses as the musical equivalent of climbing a mountain. Only when a person reaches the top do they appreciate the decision. What he meant was that Civil War reached a summit, a pristine musical landscape that made the entire journey wholly worthwhile. When I think of Arrival as a story, that analogy fits well.
Arrival is a hard film to love, at least on the surface. Cosmologically, the structure of it is identical to Manchester by the Sea. Due to the fracturing of time, Arrival comes across as much more upbeat, which is interesting since Manchester by the Sea also fractures time a lot. Director Denis Villeneuve tells the most complex story since Interstellar if not Inception, and he does in a way that ultimately makes sense. I don’t believe that there are three other directors in Hollywood who could have displayed the requisite nuance to make Arrival comprehensible to the average viewer.
As for the reveal, I’d guessed where Arrival was going ahead of that moment, although not as fast as BOP’s Kim Hollis, who had it early. Still, I admired the measured, confident approach to this unprecedented exploration of how time could work differently for an alien species. Arrival has forced me to reevaluate a lot about what I believe to be true of space exploration and the nature of the universe. It’s hard sci-fi in the purest usage of the term yet it’s still an easily consumed story of one woman’s determination to find the answer to a problem.
In an age where fundamentalism is a badge of honor for some, this film celebrates intellectualism and self-actualization. That alone distinguishes Arrival from its peers in the Best Picture category, save for the film I’m about to list second. The “characters” in that film were the real-life 1960s version of Louise Banks, a point that none of us should forget as we remember 2016 in cinema.
2) Hidden Figures
The feel-good hit of the year, Hidden Figures has become one of the unexpected blockbusters of awards season. I watched it about $130 million ago and promptly told everyone I know that they had to watch it. Hidden Figures is impeccably cast with remarkably white actors like Kevin Costner and Jim Parsons ably reflecting the glass ceiling that women portrayed by Taraji Henson, Octavia Spencer, and Janelle Monae had to combat on a daily basis. Otherwise, they never would have made their mark on the American space program, which would have left us flagging behind the competition rather than winning the race to the moon.
Hidden Figures is precisely what the trailers promise, offering little by way of shocking surprises or unconventional story structure. That’s really the only reason I haven’t ranked it ahead of Arrival, a much more challenging story to attempt. In terms of simply putting a smile on my face, something I wish more feature productions would aim to do, no other awards contender came close to Hidden Figures. It made me happy, and I’ll watch it every time it’s on television from now until the end of time. It’s a celebration of human triumph in the face of adversity and even by the standards of the many similar awards season attempts that came before it, Hidden Figures still excels.
3) Hell Or High Water
Okay, we’re still in my top five overall for the year, and we’ve already covered a third of this year’s nominees. Obviously, I can’t complain too much about to this point, although this is the last film from my top ten. The title I list fourth is one that finished 11th overall on my list. The significant drop in quality still doesn’t begin for a while after that, either. Overall, I feel like this is an unusually strong batch of contenders. I’d only describe the final film on my list as totally undeserving of selection.
In a year of such great nominees, Hell Or High Water was the most pleasant surprise for me. I knew nothing about the film when I watched it the first time. I was in awe of its rawness. This is an angry movie about poor people who think they’ve figured out how to beat the system. Two brothers understand that gaining wealth is all that matters. Once they have it, they know they can keep it. And they decide that since the banking system is corrupt and morally bankrupt, they have no problem becoming bank robbers.
One of the brothers, Toby, steals to provide for his family. The other brother, Tanner, ostensibly does it for Toby and his children. In reality, Tanner’s ethically lacking and just a bad guy. Mirroring them on the side of law enforcement is an aging Texas Ranger named Marcus who is near retirement and his younger partner, a Native-American Christian, whom Marcus derides constantly. Hell or High Water does an exceptional of comparing the criminals with the cops, and its third act features several surprises that lead to a spectacular showdown, albeit it in an unexpected forum.
4) La La Land
Another film that’s unapologetically upbeat, La La Land deserves all the praise it’s received because the story is also mature. From the moment the two lost souls, Mia and Sebastian, begin to fall in love, an event that occurs several encounters after they meet, they both have an understanding of their struggle. For one of them to achieve their dream, the other will probably not. Since few people who dream of a Hollywood ending actually reach their goals, that doesn’t seem like an insurmountable problem up until each individual’s natural ability begins to differentiate them within the industry.
La La Land trusts the audience to understand that not all storybook romances work as expected. Sometimes, two people better one another, and that’s enough. After a person watches the film, I’d expect them to reflect on all the former partners from their life that helped them become the best version of themselves. That’s the ultimate goal for all of us. For all the bells and whistles and soft shoe, La La Land explores this concept as effectively as any film in recent memory. I’d actually have to go all the way back to Shakespeare in Love to find a similar comparison for someone improving the craft of someone else so believably.
Critics assail La La Land as the latest example of navel gazing from Hollywood. The impending Academy Awards victory lap certainly won’t change that opinion. Even as a fan of the movie, I agree that its awards season triumphs are overblown. Still, I consider it a remarkably good film and a fitting companion piece to Whiplash, director Damien Chazelle’s first (major) film. In that story, a gifted drummer abandoned a great relationship since he couldn’t imagine a scenario where he could find the time to love someone. He was already had a singular love: playing the drums. In La La Land, Chazelle successfully challenges his own prior assertion, and I admire that.
5) Manchester by the Sea
During the early days of BOP, we championed You Can Count on Me, the movie that (accidentally) placed Mark Ruffalo on a path toward The Hulk. Director Kenneth Lonergan wasn’t afraid to tell a sad story of family then, and not much has changed over the past 16 years. Manchester by the Sea is so depressing that it makes You Can Count on Me feel like an episode of Friends.
You almost certainly know the basics by now. Manchester by the Sea is a story of an uncle forced into action as a guardian to his nephew. Over time, Lee Chandler’s hesitant actions reveal his backstory. He’d once had more parental responsibility until tragedy struck. I won’t spoil the details here. What I will say that is that I’ve reached the point where ceaselessly depressing cinema doesn’t do much for me. I wasn’t going to watch this title UNLESS it earned a Best Picture nod. Once it did, I had kind of mentally prepared myself for the horrors.
For that reason, I enjoyed the film more than expected. The performances are universally top-notch, and the tragedy occurs largely off-screen. So, the viewer doesn’t have to suffer through it, a refreshing storytelling decision. Affleck is every bit as good as expected, and Michelle Williams delivers a wonderful complimentary performance as a lousy spouse who eventually gains self-awareness about her own behavior during trying times. She’s unexpectedly well-rounded, something I found key to my acceptance of Manchester by the Sea. Of course, the real magic is between uncle and nephew. Lucas Hedges has tremendous awkward chemistry with Affleck, which ties the film together nicely. Manchester by the Sea is depressing by choice, but don’t let that stop you from giving it a chance.
6) Fences
Let’s have Denzel Washington talk shit for more than two hours! Who’s with me? Clearly, the producers of Fences were. In adapting one of the legendary August Wilson Pittsburgh Cycle plays, some genius zoned in on Washington as the perfect replacement for a role once made famous by James Earl Jones.
While Washington lacks the (literal) physical presence of Darth Vader, you’d be hard-pressed to notice when he talks. One of the greatest living actors, Washington tears into his portrayal of Troy Maxson like he’d waited for it ever since production ended on Training Day. He’s a sublime combination of proud, brutish, selfish, and savvy. The revelations sprinkled throughout Fences reveal his plight as well as his flaws. Maxson has reason to feel bitter. That doesn’t excuse many of his personal shortcomings.
Fences is a complex study of a tragic life or it’s a celebration of audacity in the face of adversity. Either interpretation works due to the spectacular performance of Washington.
7) Lion
Another sad story in a year of them, Lion is based on a real tragedy that ultimately ends happily. A destitute boy in a small province in India follows his older brother to the place where they find goods that they can exchange for food. He falls asleep during the heist and winds up on a train a thousand miles away in Calcutta, unable to speak the language or tell people he’s far from home.
Eventually, the boy winds up adopted by an Australian couple that provides him an idyllic home life. His affluence never soothes his troubled soul, though. Even though the boy becomes a smart, successful man, he never forgets that he’s living the wrong life and that his birth mother and brother don’t know what happened to him. What follows is a struggling man’s attempts to reconcile the happiness he should feel with the dissatisfaction that sometimes overwhelms him. Those who remembered the headlines of the real life inspiration for Lion know how it ends. It’s the journey that amazes, though. Lion is uncomfortable to watch at several points, but its heart is always in the right place. Even though it’s only seventh on my list, I’d still heartily recommend it, which reflects the overall quality of this year’s list of nominations. 2016 was especially great for acting. Even the next film, one I didn’t enjoy as much, featured a pair of astonishingly good performances.
8) Moonlight
Each year, I seem to describe one of the nominees as a film I admire rather than one I love. Moonlight is this year’s entrant. I absolutely love the performances in the movie, particularly the work of two actors I’ve admired for more than a decade now, Mahershala Ali and Naomie Harris.
At its core, Moonlight tells a crucial story about the natural ostracism that occurs when a homophobic parent realizes that they’re raising a gay child. Hearing someone describe their child as sweet, as if that’s problematic, is striking. I deeply respect the aggressive, brutal take that writer/director Barry Jenkins has on the subject matter. I just didn’t take a lot away from the film. Even now, the details blur. I understand why the subject matter resonates with so many. For me, it didn’t prove memorable beyond the acting performances.
9) Hacksaw Ridge
Sometimes, the message of a film gets lost in translation. The entire story of Desmond Doss is amazing yet the film telling the tale fails completely. It’s not a bad film per se, simply a dishonest one. Ostensibly, Hacksaw Ridge wants the viewer to know Doss valued human life above all else. His actions demonstrate this behavior, and some events not shown onscreen reinforce it. He even tries to save a couple of his enemies on the battlefield, ultimately failing. The effort reeks of nobility and innate decency, though.
Paradoxically, this knowledge is what undoes Hacksaw Ridge as a film. Mel Gibson inexplicably throws in elements of Rambo to add spice to the action sequences. Yes, Doss entered the field of battle multiple times to draw soldiers away to safety. And yes, he did so at tremendous personal risk. That’s why he’s a big damn hero. Gibson’s direction doesn’t trust the story enough to show the bravery of Doss. Instead, he preaches about the importance of life while killing random Japanese redshirts without any consideration as to their worth as people. Doss as a real person cared about life. Gibson’s retelling of the story is cowardly. He somehow convinced himself that Hacksaw Ridge needs a high body count to make its point.
The ultimate outcome is a wounded American soldier being dragged along as he somehow shoots eight random Japanese men. Meanwhile, they fire hundreds of bullets that miss. This film is like something Shane Black would make, only without the self-irony.