[Movie Commentary] Which Oscar-nominated films you should be queueing to watch (and which ones are pretentious duds)

(From L-R) Michael Shannon, Sally Hawkins and Octavia Spencer in the film THE SHAPE OF WATER. (Twentieth Century Fox)
(From L-R) Michael Shannon, Sally Hawkins and Octavia Spencer in the film THE SHAPE OF WATER. (Twentieth Century Fox)

Let’s be honest — Academy Award nominated films don’t necessarily appeal to everyone. They’re geared towards very specific audiences who may not be your everyday moviegoer. Broadly speaking, they are kind of similar in tone and treatment. Brooding. Artistic. Angsty. Ostensibly full of symbolism. Colour grading cranked to maximum levels.

It’s almost as if an entertaining film can’t be considered a literary masterpiece.

In any case, here’s what you should really be watching — and the pretentious duds you should be skipping.

The Shape of Water - Twentieth Century Fox
The Shape of Water – Twentieth Century Fox

The Shape of Water

Let’s begin with the winner for Best Picture. It looks like a dark horse, what with its fantasy themes and lack of historical significance. It’s also incredibly disturbing, featuring an intimate scene between its mute protagonist and an amphibious humanoid (as well as implying that they would forevermore be engaging in carnal pleasures underwater). Admittedly, it’s artistically shot. However, you should really be turning to other avenues if such awkward scenes are highlights for you.

Score: 3.2/5

Lady Bird (United International Pictures)
Lady Bird (United International Pictures)

Lady Bird

It’s hard to get more indulgent and pointless than “Lady Bird”, at least when it comes to central characters. The supporting cast of this coming-of-age drama are wonderful to watch, which makes its main character so much more inane in comparison. Saoirse Ronan tries her best to imbue titular Lady Bird with layers, but there’s only so much one can do to save a boring, entitled, simplistic character.

Score: 2.5/5

All The Money In The World (Golden Village Pictures)
All The Money In The World (Golden Village Pictures)

All The Money in the World

Few films make the sort of dramatic impact that “All The Money in the World” does, despite the fact that it’s based on a true story (and hence, has less leeway for dramatisation). Each character is interesting enough to helm the film on their own — and the sum of their interactions is what makes this film so amazing. There’s also the very impressive fact that the film went through drastic reshoots and editing just two months prior to its release (when a major character was recast).

Score: 4.4/5

The Post (United International Pictures)
The Post (United International Pictures)

The Post

“The Post” will probably be slightly inaccessible to the general public (since it is about journalists and their woes), but it’s packed with old school drama. If you think about it, the characters don’t really have very earthshaking problems — but goodness, they sure do react as if the end of the world were imminent. It’s an incredible film, given that it doesn’t have very visually stimulating elements.

Score: 4.0/5

Tommy (Fionn Whitehead) in "Dunkirk". (Warner Bros Pictures)
Tommy (Fionn Whitehead) in “Dunkirk”. (Warner Bros Pictures)

Dunkirk

“Dunkirk” was great at conveying the horrors of war, but did we really need an entire movie to tell us what we already knew? It was a fantastic cinematic experience which blatantly avoided trying to tell a story. A bold experiment by Christopher Nolan that was lauded by critics, but it’s probably not going to have the same sort of effect if you caught it on a Bluray or DVD. If you’re going to watch this, it’s best seen in a cinema.

Score: 3.6/5

Will we see any of these films returning to cinema screens (“The Shape of Water” and “Lady Bird” are currently showing, and they’d probably see extended runs after Oscar season)? We’ll know by the end of the week.
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This is an original article on marcusgohmarcusgoh.com


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I’m a Singapore television scriptwriter who’s written for Lion Mums, Crimewatch, Police & Thief, and Incredible Tales. I’m also a Transformers enthusiast and avid pop culture scholar. You can find me on social media as Optimarcus and on my site.

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