Best Picture Nominees - Hacksaw Ridge


Nine films have been nominated for Best Picture. We'll find out on Sunday, February 26 which one claims the top prize. But until then, I'll be taking a look at each of the Best Picture Nominees.

Hacksaw Ridge
Starring: Andrew Garfield, Luke Bracey, Vince Vaughn, Sam Worthington, Hugo Weaving, Rachel Griffiths, and Teresa Palmer
Director: Mel Gibson
Total Nomination: 6
Nominated For: Best Picture, Best Actor (Garfield), Best Director (Gibson), Best Editing, Best Sound Mixing, Best Sound Editing
About: Sometimes for a movie the nominations are the victory. When it comes to "Hacksaw Ridge," that's likely true for the big categories. It feels like an incredible long-shot to win Best Picture, ditto for Garfield as Best Actor. In fact, Garfield himself expressed surprise at the nomination. He did great work, and he deserves to be in the field, but Casey Affleck and Ryan Gosling are the clear favorites. Probably one of the biggest shocks on nomination day was hearing Gibson's name called in the Best Director race. He's a talented director who won the big prize before, 21 years ago for "Braveheart." But it's been a while since he helmed a big movie, and in the time since he won Best Director Gibson fell out of favor in Hollywood largely due to his personal actions. Yet, his work on this true story of a hero who held firm to his convictions despite a mountain of public pressure won voters over. It is a powerful and beautiful film, and was certainly among the best of 2016. Its best shot at taking home Academy Gold might be in the two sound categories. It is competing with fellow Best Picture nominees "Arrival" and "La La Land" in that category, but often complicated war movies have the edge. We'll see in a month.
Rating: R for intense prolonged realistically graphic sequences of war violence including grisly bloody images.
Verdict: Four stars out of four.
Where to See It: "Hacksaw Ridge" has been re-released in theaters nationwide.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Burial a courtroom drama with heart

Image
Willie Gary (Jamie Foxx) is a brash trial lawyer who is good at rallying a jury to his cause. Jeremiah O’Keefe (Tommy Lee Jones) is a quiet grandfather who is trying to ensure the business his family built remains viable after he’s gone. These two don’t appear to have much in common on the surface. But when they’re brought together by young lawyer Hal Dockins (Mamoudou Athie) brings them together, a connection is formed over their shared background of working hard to become self-made men. And it turned out that Willie was just who Jerry needed in his corner to win the fight of his life. The new Prime Video film The Burial, which opened in theaters October 6 and started streaming October 13, captures that trial against the Loewen Group that changed the course of their lives. The film is based on the true story and covers the trial, but more importantly captures the relationship between the men. The film plays out like a traditional courtroom drama. Foxx is solid as Willie Gary, while Ju
Read more

Broncos Draft Targets

Image
  The NFL Draft is just a few days away. On April 25, the Denver Broncos will head into the draft in the midst of something of a rebuild. In the draft, the Broncos have the No. 12 pick in Round 1, then have a Third Round Pick, Fourth Round Pick, three Fifth Round Picks, a Sixth Round Pick, and a Seventh Round Pick. So, what might they be targeting? Let's dive in and look at possible positions. Quarterback : The team clearly needs a long-term quarterback. Jarrett Stidham and Ben DiNucci are there but the team could certainly use someone else. Could they move up for Drake Maye or J.J. McCarthy? Yes, they could. Will the take Bo Nix at 12? It's possible. Or will the Broncos wait until next off-season to make a move? Anything is in play for the Broncos in 2024, but quarterback is surely a need. Tight End: The team brought back Adam Trautman and still has Greg Dulcich, but it's still a need. Dulcich hasn't been able to get on the field and Trautman hasn't been great. Co
Read more

Favorite Westerns, No. 43

Image
  Do you like a good Western? It's a classic genre in film and this year I've decided to look at some of my favorite Westerns. So, join me each Friday as I count down my favorite Westerns from No. 50 to No. 1. Rooster Cogburn : [ watching Mattie ford the river hanging on the back of her horse] By God. She reminds me of me. True Grit (1969) Starring : John Wayne, Kim Darby, Glen Campbell, Robert Duvall, and Dennis Hopper Director : Henry Hathaway About: This is the third straight week with a film from Wayne. As you might guess, we're not done. As I've mentioned, he sets a standard for the genre. Here, we seen him bring to life an iconic character. This one is based on a novel, and it has endured. He's great as Rooster Cogburn, so good that he got a sequel in the same character. But this is a later film in his career. This is a different, more grizzled Wayne. He's still quite good and this is a film that really has stood the test of time. It's not the only ve
Read more