The musical score is so integral to Dunkirk.
This is an interesting read, @Nrdsb4, if you haven’t already:
http://www.businessinsider.com/dunkirk-music-christopher-nolan-hans-zimmer-2017-7
@TranquilMind , I assume you had similar strong objections to Beauty and the Beast, in which the Emma Watson character is pretty clearly presented as a late teenager and the Beast is presented as a former man of the world and played by mid-30s Dan Stevens.
We saw The Post last weekend. We all liked it more than we thought we would. I would be surprised if it won Best Picture though.
I just got home from seeing The Shape of Water.
Not a lot of spoilers, but don’t read this if you still plan on seeing the film.
SPOILER ALERT
I thought the plot was very predictable; I was able to infer most of it from the trailer. It really went exactly as I had anticipated it would, including my response to it.The villain was a typical one dimensional creep, as I expected. The Russian doctor with a heart was not something I saw coming (the Russian part, I mean), though. I thought it was a lovely film, but I wouldn’t place it at the top of my list for Best Picture.
All that said, it was very artfully done. Sally Hawkins’ performance was brilliant, just spectacular. Richard Jenkins and Octavia Spencer were stellar in the supporting roles. The cinematography and set direction were beautiful.l. I enjoyed the feelings and images of the past it evoked. I came home with the score still playing in my mind.
But at the end of the day, not my favorite and I’m unlikely to watch it again.
I have 3 more Best Picture films unseen: The Phantom Thread, Get Out, and Call Me By My Name.
So far I’ve seen Dunkirk, The Shape of Water, Get Out, and 3 Billboards.
The strains of Elgar in the Dunkirk score were what caught my ear at the time, but the article linked above and the you tube recording were really interesting, and illustrate how well made the movie really is.
Of the four, although each has some real strengths, I would select Get Out for its sheer originality.
I’m looking forward to seeing the others in the next few weeks, especially Ladybird.
“JHS:
@TranquilMind , I assume you had similar strong objections to Beauty and the Beast, in which the Emma Watson character is pretty clearly presented as a late teenager and the Beast is presented as a former man of the world and played by mid-30s Dan Stevens.”
Well, possibly, had I had any interest in seeing such a movie, which I don’t.
Emma Watson is 27 years old and looks every year of it. They didn’t trot out someone who looked like a young teen. If the Beast guy - who was entirely costumed for virtually the whole movie so the relevance is questionable - is indeed in his 30s, then even so, this isn’t any sort of obvious predatory contrast, is it? Not to mention it was standard in the 1740’s, when the tale was concocted, for younger women to marry older men, since so many were dead by 30s or 40s anyway, given the short life span.
That’s not at all remotely equivalent to the movie at issue.
So the 18+ Romeo having sex with 13 y/o Juliet is fine, because times were different in 1597, but a 17 yo having sex in 1983 is “glorifying sexual abuse?” #mmmk 8-|
Is the objection really about predatory behavior per se, or is it actually about homosexuality and some notion that the older man is going to “influence” the younger one to be gay? Because some of these comments reveal a logic that seems rather on the double standard side. Just wondering.
At 18, Romeo would have been a man and probably serving in the military, so it is unlikely he was 18, though no one really knows. So you don’t know either. His impulsive actions certainly suggests he is younger, and just a few years older than Juliet. Juliet is specified as being not quite 14, and Romeo’s age is unknown, though he is referred to as young.
Much different than the obvious contrast between these two, where one is clearly a mature man and the other looks like a young teen. That is not accidental, and I think you know that. Not to mention decent adults in their mid twenties on up (since we, the audience are to wink at the fiction that this obviously 30+ year old man is in his mid-twenties) walk away from teens and find someone of an appropriate age.
For folks who love Oscar history, New York has an exhaustively researched ranking of 66 Oscar monologues and opening numbers here: http://www.vulture.com/2018/03/best-oscar-monologues-and-opening-numbers-ranked.html Can’t say I agree that Seth Macfarlane was the worst host ever, but I do love the number 1 pick.
I love movies and the Oscars but can’t imagine watching all 66 openings and coming up with a ranking. I’m glad someone did, though.
Well, I went to see Call Me By Your Name today.
Thoughts:
I didn’t see the older character as a “predator.”
I didn’t see the 17 year old as the “aggressor.”
There was plenty of push and pull done by each of them. The “casual” touches that lasted a bit too long, the frequent swims, the glances, the inviting each other to do things that really didn’t require the other’s presence, etc. Seemed pretty even to me in terms of who initiated the relationship. I thought on more than one occasion that Oliver was the least busy grad student I’ve ever observed.
I enjoyed seeing the Italian countryside, hearing the various languages, appreciated that these young people lived life at a slower pace back then (a bunch of teens just sitting around talking rather than being glued to their phones, go figure). I enjoyed watching the characters eat such beautiful food, and the frequent meals with wine made me thirsty for a nice red. 
Seeing young people smoking so much made me cringe, and honestly, I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to eat a fresh peach again.
Mostly, I thought it was a little boring. Blasphemous for some, I sure. I just kept thinking “when is this going to be over”?
I guess it was another one of those “lovely films” that you nevertheless can’t imagine winning best picture. Or at least I can’t see it.
Does anyone want to air their predictions for tomorrow’s ceremony? I haven’t seen all the nominated films or performances yet - even when I do, my predictions fall short. My guesses, based on the movies I’ve seen, reviews, SAG and other run-up awards:
Supporting actor - Sam Rockwell (rooting for Woody Harrelson)
Supporting actress - Allison Janney (rooting for Laurie Metcalf)
Actor - Gary Oldman
Actress - Frances McDormand
I won’t be disappointed, whoever wins the acting categories.
Director - Guillermo del Toro. The DGA winner almost always receives the Oscar. He’s obviously a genius. I’m not a huge fan of The Shape of Water.
Original screenplay - Jordan Peele (would love to see him or Greta Gerwig win)
Picture - I can’t shake the feeling that Get Out could win. It’s not a traditional Best Picture but is a terrific movie.
I was able to find Get Out at a budget cinema that shows movies that are usually no longer at theaters, so I’m going to go see it in a little while. That will leave Phantom Thread as the only unseen movie.
@frazzled1, I think most of your predictions are in line with what most of the “experts” predict. Usually there are a couple of surprise results that deviate from the trend seen during awards season. That’s always fun.
I would be shocked if any of them didn’t win
I will also add: Adapted Screenplay - James Ivory
I think this is the only major award that could be a surprise. I think it will be “The Shape of Water” but really, there are many nominated films that I would be just as happy to see win,
Check out the NPR podcast Pop Culture Happy Hour for some great discussions of all of these movies, and of the Oscar race.
For those that like to watch the red carpet, which channel do you recommend?
Normally, I’d say E! Some may take issue with Ryan Seacrest hosting, though. So an alternative is ABC, which has Countdown to the Oscars Live!, starting at 5 p.m. Eastern.
http://www.latimes.com/local/abcarian/la-me-abcarian-oscars-hypocrisy-20180303-story.html
Good article on why the Academy gives Kobe Bryant and Roman Polanski a pass. No answers, just pointing up the hypocrisy.
So I ended up watching Get Out on my laptop through Amazon prime video. Much more convenient to sit in my recliner with my awesome headphones and get the crap scared out of me in my own home while wearing my comfy clothes and eating leftovers from last night instead of paying a fortune for dried out popcorn.
I notice that many of the nominated movies are available through Amazon video. Who knew?
Anyway, it was a gripping film, suspenseful as hell, creepy, and yet satisfying by the end of the film. Though it seems to me to screaming SEQUEL with one of the loose ends.
Through this amazon viewing, I was able to watch the FIRST ending Jordan Peele shot, with his commentary. That would have made for some interesting discussions on CC and elsewhere!
I’m going to have to watch it again just to see that alternate ending.