2018 Oscar Predictions: The Screenplays

The Academy

     March 5th is the big day, folks: Oscar night! All the best (arguably) movies of the last year come together to be celebrated by Hollywood’s elite and to be skipped by everyone else. Yes, it’s very self-celebratory, but for a film nerd like me I do like to see how the awards go down and who walks away the big winner. With that being said, from this day until Sunday I will be posting my predictions and thoughts on the nominees. Today, let’s take a look at the nominees for the two big writing awards: Adapted and Original Screenplay!

Annihilation Review

Paramount Pictures

     Paramount Pictures is in a bit of a rut right now, having faced the loss of a major production partner and a couple years of mostly duds. Just in the past year, the company has not released a film that you would consider a hit, with a few being barely profitable and others downright bombing. This has included films that are actually good like mother!, but in the face of these difficulties they have decided to remove the risk by dumping Annihilation onto Netflix (ala The Cloverfield Paradox) in every country except America, Canada and China. So does that mean that this film, from the writer-director of Ex Machina, is a dud? Let’s find out!

Back Issues: Gearing Up for Black Panther

Marvel Studios

     Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know that Marvel’s Black Panther is coming out this Friday, and word on the street is that people really really love it. So, because I personally care more about the comics than the films based on them, I want to use this hype to try and bring some attention to the best stories featuring our favorite African monarch. This is your homework, folks, and you wouldn’t want to let the king down, would you? Let’s get started!

The Top 10 Movies of 2017

     No need to beat around the bush here, I know what we’re all here for! 2017 was a great year for movies, and this was an interesting list to make. Just to get it out of the way, you will probably not agree with everything on this list, and there are plenty of movies I did not see. Enough intro-ing, let’s do this! 

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly of The Last Jedi

Lucasfilm

     It’s hard to believe that one of the most divisive things in 2017 would be a Star Wars film, but here we are. The eighth installment in the main series, not counting Rogue One, is brought to us by Rian Johnson (Looper, The Brothers Bloom), and features the continuing adventures of Rey and Finn while also featuring the return of Luke Skywalker. So what could have possibly gone wrong with this to earn such a harsh audience reaction? Let’s try to answer that here.

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri Review

tmc.io

     In the wake of Quentin Tarantino’s massive entrance in the early 90’s, a whole wave of imitators popped up to try and ride his movement to fame and fortune. While some like Guy Ritchie were successful, most had some one-offs and then fizzled away into obscurity. Then in 2007 the most recent of these imitators, a plucky Irishman named Martin McDonagh, burst onto the scene. With his two films In Bruges and Seven Psychopaths, McDonagh was able to successfully blend Tarantino-style filmmaking and storytelling with a very unique brand of dark humor and social observation. Does Three Billboards continue this winning streak? Let’s find out.

Roman J. Israel, Esq. Review

Eventbrite

     There are few actors who I will show up without fail on day one to support at the movies. Robert Downey Jr., Tom Hanks, Michael Keaton are just a few, but very few are at the level that Denzel Washington is for me. Denzel is the epitome of everything an actor should be: talented, charismatic and versatile, to the point where even his bad movies are enjoyable to watch just on his strengths alone. Pairing him with Dan Gilroy, the man who directed the incredible Nightcrawler, is just extra icing on the cake. So how does this one turn out? Let’s dive in.