Eight months after the release of the highly anticipated Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy, another Activision property looks to be getting a remaster. According to multiple sources who have spoken with Kotaku, a remastered version of the first three Spyro the Dragon games will be released. The project is set to be announced in March of 2018 and will be released in Q3 of 2018. But that’s not the only information that has surfaced.
Vicarious Visions will be back to work on the new remaster. The New York-based developer is aiming to give Spyro the same treatment they gave Crash Bandicoot. By creating new assets including animations, lighting, cinematics, and a remastered soundtrack. As well as user-friendly tweaks to the game’s save feature.
The remastered trilogy will also be a one-year timed exclusive for PS4. With ports for other consoles coming in 2019. Even though Q3 is the rumored release date, September is the 20th anniversary of Spyro’s release. Could that be when the remaster is released?
Looks like we’ll find out soon. Are you excited for remastered versions of Spyro the Dragon, Ripto’s Rage, and Year of the Dragon? What are other classic PlayStation games would you like to see get remastered? Comment below!
Sex, in many regards, is power. At least that’s how Red Sparrow sees it. The new film — based on the 2013 novel by Jason Matthews — hinges so crucially on the sexuality of its lead character that it is easy to forget this is supposed to be a spy thriller and not an erotic psychodrama. But perhaps we’re getting a bit ahead of ourselves.
When Red Sparrow begins, Dominika Egorova (Jennifer Lawrence) is a renowned ballerina, but after a devastating injury, her career is tragically cut short. Enter her Uncle Vanya (Matthias Schoenaerts), who uses this opportunity to recruit her on a secret mission for the Russian government. From there, Dominika winds up being trained as a “Sparrow,” part of an elite squad of spies that uses seduction to manipulate others. After a rocky training period, her first mission as a full-fledged Sparrow takes her directly on a collision course with CIA Agent Nathaniel Nash (Joel Edgerton).
Female-led spy films are nothing new, and the fairly generic setup of Red Sparrow left many comparing it to Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow from the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Although the two characters share a common backstory, Red Sparrow is far less of an action film than audiences may be expecting. In fact, virtually all of Dominika’s training scenes center on her ability to shed herself of sexual inhibition and otherwise debase herself in favor of accomplishing an objective. To be fair, exploring this kind of blind patriotism is a smart angle for a film like this to take. Alas, this film doesn’t really do that.
Like so much of the political commentary that may have arisen from Red Sparrow, it’s all simply set dressing for what amounts to a pretty run-of-the-mill tale of betrayal, mistrust and deceit. The film’s erratic pace and bloated 139-minute runtime don’t help matters, and there are no truly unforgettable character moments or action set pieces to keep audiences engaged. Instead, Red Sparrow attempts to take on compress too much story into a single narrative and falls under its own convoluted narrative weight. Thank goodness that Lawrence has the ability to elevate virtually every project she works on.
At her best, the Oscar-winning star lights up the screen with a charisma and presence startling for an actress her age. So she is easily the best part of Red Sparrow, embodying the vulnerability and dispassionate sides of her slippery character in equal measure. Part of Lawrence’s skill set as an actress is to nail these two performance styles with ease, as evidenced from her work as The Hunger Games‘ Katniss Everdeen, X-Men‘s Mystique and even Silver Linings Playbook‘s Tiffany Maxwell (arguably her three most widely-seen roles). Even when Red Sparrow‘s story seems bland or inscrutable, she barely holds it together.
Aside from Lawrence, Red Sparrow largely wastes its talented cast. Jeremy Irons, Mary Louise-Parker and Ciarán Hinds are all wasted in nothing roles, and Charlotte Rampling — as the Matron of the Sparrow training program — sadly doesn’t have enough screentime. Schoenaerts and Edgerton, thankfully, lend fine support when they’re onscreen. However, their characters are so one-dimensional and undefined that they hardly register. The focus here is rightfully on Dominika, but the lack of development for anyone else still prevents Red Sparrow from creating an immersive world.
That’s a real shame because an espionage thriller about a young woman who chooses to weaponize her own sexuality could have been an intriguing deconstruction of a genre that has been done to death a million times. If Red Sparrow had delved into the potential empowerment Dominika felt in her new role, then director Francis Lawrence (no relation) could have explored the dichotomy between the objectification of women that so often plagues spy films and the sense of power that operatives like Dominika (and, yes, Black Widow) wield in such situations.
But Red Sparrow has no such lofty ideals on its mind. A halfhearted twist late in the film attempts to restore some agency to Dominika but fails to justify the story that precedes it. Without a smart story at its core or any breathtaking action sequences to compensate for it (see: Atomic Blonde), Red Sparrow winds up being the kind of shrug-inducing star vehicle that many wrote it off as when the first trailer dropped. What, one wonders, led Lawrences Francis and Jennifer to reunite for this after the last three Hunger Games films? The former has proven he can bring a certain visual flair, but you wouldn’t know it from this one.
In short, those looking for a female answer to James Bond will walk out of Red Sparrow disappointed. The film isn’t aggressively bad, but in a way, being mediocre is almost worse. At least embracing a certain B-movie charm might have brought some personality to it all. As it stands, the film is only required viewing for moviegoers desperate for more J.Law.
Santa Clarita Diet is bringing in four new faces for its second season. Deadline reports that Joel McHale (Community), Maggie Lawson (Psych), Gerald McRaney (This Is Us), and Zachary Knighton (Happy Endings) will appear on the show. These new actors will be in the upcoming second season, due out this spring.
The Netflix original series premiered last year, and was renewed for a second season. The show stars Timothy Olyphant and Drew Barrymore as husband and wife realtors, whose life is upended when Barrymore’s character discovers she is a zombie. Season two will pick up with the family dealing with Barrymore’s worsening condition, and keeping it a secret from the outside world. Not to mention how to get Barrymore all the victims she needs to feed on.
Drew Barrymore and Timothy Olyphant (copyright Saeed Adyani / Netflix)
McHale and Lawson will play Chris and Christa, the antagonistic realtor rivals of Sheila (Barrymore) and Joel (Olyphant). McRaney plays Ed Thune, a retired army man who will no doubt cause trouble for the zombie suburbanites. Knighton plays Paul, who appears to be a “chill dude” kind of zombie hunter. How exactly each character will get along with Sheila and Joel – and how many will survive – remains to be seen.
Santa Clarita Diet stars Drew Barrymore as Sheila Hammond, Timothy Olyphant as Joel Hammond, Liv Hewson as Abby Hammond and Skyler Gisondo as Eric Bemis.
Everything Sucks! is to the 90s what Freaks and Geeks was the early 80s, presenting a slice-of-life high school story with nerds, young love, and a steady stream of references to the pop culture mainstays of the day. After those surface-level similarities, Everything Sucks! takes things on in its own way. It’s part sit-com, part-drama featuring a strong cast, solid writing, and a helluva lot of 90s songs. But does everything suck, is it any good, or is it just … whatever.
As good mid-90s kids, the trio loves making movies
and joins the AV Club in their freshman year.
Everything Sucks! starts us off by introducing Luke O’Neil (Jahi Winston), and his two dork friends McQuaid (Rio Mangini) and Tyler (Quinn Liebling). The three kids go to the fictional Boring High School in the real-life town of Boring, Oregon. As good mid-90s kids, the trio loves making movies and joins the AV Club in their freshman year.
Luke instantly falls for tall, lanky, and pretty Kate Messner (Peyton Kennedy), a fellow member of the AV Club. Luke’s starry eyes make no mistake that he’s entirely into Kate. However, the young woman is distant and doesn’t return the loving glances with Luke. She likes him, as a friend, but Kate has something more profound going on that she has to figure out.
In contrast to Luke, his friends, and Kate, is the Theatre Club, a group of older, “cool” kids. The young thespians don’t like AV. One, in particular, Emaline Addario (Sydney Sweeney), loves to start trouble.
In parallel to all the kids is the story of Ken Messner (Patch Darragh), Kate’s father and the principal of Boring High School. Ken is falling for Sherry O’Neil (Claudine Nako), Luke’s mom. Both single parents have a mutual connection, unlike their kids.
The nostalgia addicted viewers of today will
undoubtedly love the soundtrack.
Overall, the story of love and friendship at the heart of EverythingSucks! is nothing really new. However, as they say, it’s not about the idea, it’s the execution. Everything Sucks! certainly has fun with its characters, setting up and undercutting tropes time and again. Subtle winks and nods to movies of the time slip in and out of the show as well.
The nostalgia addicted viewers of today will undoubtedly love the soundtrack. EverythingSucks! curated some of the classics of the era. Hit songs from Offspring, Tori Amos, Weezer, Crystal Waters, Oasis, and so many more carry scenes along.
In a word, EverythingSucks! is sweet.
Unlike many Netflix shows which seem to go on an episode or two or three too long, EverythingSucks! suffers from a lack of episodes. The show maintains a very superficial approach to things most of the time. Story points, like one kid running away to become an actor, that would normally produce a lot more drama in other shows are just kind of glossed over. It might sound like a critique, but it’s not. I knows exactly what kind of show it wants to be and sticks to it.
The real charm of the show, much like StrangerThings, is the cast which nails every character they play. Emotional scenes resonate beautifully through the performances. And while the story doesn’t delve too deep into things, it does enough to make the drama play out as intended. It might even cause a tear or two to drop.
In a word, EverythingSucks! is sweet; like saccharine at times. It’s the anti-13 Reasons Why. It touches on some heavier subjects like young sexuality, but with light fingers, never letting it bog down the light nature of the narrative. EverythingSucks! Doesn’t suck at all, it’s a family-friendly (albeit, plenty emotional) ride through the decade of whatever.
Then, nearly two weeks later, Howard responded to the tweet with a cool piece of information. Favreau is voicing a “cool” and “important” character in the Han Solo-spinoff.
”
Wondering why we r all together? Jon_Favreau is voicing a very cool & important alien character for HanSolo . Flattered & fortunate I could pull him away from his #LionKing directing duties.”
Wondering why we r all together? @Jon_Favreau is voicing a very cool & important alien character for #HanSolo Flattered & fortunate I could pull him away from his #LionKing directing duties https://t.co/W5N7YoAlq6
I have a feeling Favreau’s part in Solo is akin to that of Daniel Craig in Star Wars: The Force Awakens. The actor was in a scene and talked for nearly a minute, but was disguised as a Stormtrooper. That said, however, I would love to see Favreau get the spotlight for a cameo in the movie.
Are you looking forward to Solo: A Star Wars Story? Comment below, let us know.
During an adventure into a dark criminal underworld, Han Solo meets his future copilot Chewbacca and encounters Lando Calrissian years before joining the Rebellion.
The film is directed by Ron Howard and stars Alden Ehrenreich, Donald Glover, Emilia Clarke, Woody Harrelson, Paul Bettany, Warwick Davis, and Thadie Newton.
Solo: A Star Wars Story flies into theaters on May 25.
Black Panther opened with a stellar $25 Million Thursday night, giving it the second best opening night ever for Marvel Studios. The top grossing Thursday night for the studio is Avengers: Age of Ultron, which took in nearly $28 Million.
If the King of Wakanda can keep up the solid numbers throughout the four-day weekend, Black Panther could bring in an incredible $200+ Million. Though the film had a staggering $200 Million production, with that likely needing to be doubled due to marketing, it will no doubt be a huge success for Marvel. The movie is already on pace to break records both domestically and worldwide.
We at Monkeys Fighting Robots loved Black Panther, with two reviews published. Dewey gave the film a 4.2/5, and Matthew ranked it a bit lower with a 3.9/5. How did you feel about the movie? Comment below, let us know.
“After the events of Marvel’s Captain America: Civil War, King T’Challa returns home to the reclusive, technologically advanced African nation of Wakanda to serve as his country’s new leader. However, T’Challa soon finds that he is challenged for the throne from factions within his own country. When two foes conspire to destroy Wakanda, the hero known as Black Panther must team up with C.I.A. agent Everett K. Ross and members of the Dora Milaje, Wakanadan special forces, to prevent Wakanda from being dragged into a world war.”
Directed by Ryan Coogler, Black Panther stars Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong’o, Danai Gurira, Martin Freeman, Daniel Kaluuya, Andy Serkis, Agela Bassett, Forest Whitaker, Letitia Wright, Winston Duke, and Sterling K. Brown. Click herefor the full cast list.
The official Justice League Twitter account has revealed a brand new poster from the film, and the image features a gorgeous new look at the Man of Steel. Check it out below.
“Fueled by his restored faith in humanity and inspired by Superman’s selfless act, Bruce Wayne enlists the help of his newfound ally, Diana Prince, to face an even greater enemy. Together, Batman and Wonder Woman work quickly to find and recruit a team of metahumans to stand against this newly awakened threat. But despite the formation of this unprecedented league of heroes—Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Cyborg and The Flash—it may already be too late to save the planet from an assault of catastrophic proportions.”
Justice League released in theaters on November 17, 2017. The film was directed by Zack Snyder/Joss Whedon and includes Henry Cavill, Gal Gadot, Ben Affleck, Ezra Miller, Ray Fisher, Jason Momoa, Jeremy Irons, JK Simmons, Amy Adams, Amber Heard, and Ciaran Hinds.
How do you feel about this poster? Was Henry Cavill’s Superman handled well in Justice League? Chime in down below, in our comments section.
Justice League released for Digital HD on February 13 and hits Blu-Ray on March 13.
In 2016, DC announced a new installment in the Superman Family books: New Super-Man. Written by Gene Luen Yang, the story followed a boy, Kenan (pronounced Ken Ann) Kong, who is given powers of the Man of Steel to protect his home of Shanghai. During his journey, he gains allies in the form of the Justice League of China. Chinese heroes such as Baixi the Bat-man, Deilan the Wonder Woman, and Avery Ho the Flash soon joined Kenan on his adventures. Their adventures came to a head when they challenged the villain All-Yang and teamed up with the American Justice League to save China. Now the series has been renamed to atone for its shift from the New Super-Man to the rest of the League. What adventures will they go on next?
**Some Spoilers Below**
Story:
After the victory against All-Yang, The Justice League of China have been training for the next big attack. Kenan has worked on bringing inner balance to himself with Avery while Baixi and Deilan have begun a relationship. During one of their dates, however, the couple come across the Apokoliptian menace, Sleez, absorbing the energy of civilians. This leads to the JLC jumping into action and save the day. While all this is going on, a student in North Korea is taken into custody after water-based powers begin to manifest. These powers, along with him summoning sea creatures to aid him, point towards him becoming a new version of Aquaman.
Despite it being numbered 20, this does feel like the first issue of a new series. It gives you just enough of the characters to make them relatable and give enough incentive to make you want to look back at the rest of the run. The action is fun, especially now that they’re working as a team. Before the retitling, the New Super-Man would usually run in and try to fight the villain himself. This action of working with the team shows that he has grown as a character.
This kind of character development really brings the world to life and pulls you in. You want to see what will happen to these characters as they feel more alive. Even the North Korean student, Kwang-Jo, feels realistic and you want to see how he’ll get out of trouble. This world feels alive and when you pick it up you won’t want to put it down.
Art:
While the story is written extremely well, the art waivers in terms of quality. Brent Peeples pencilwork doesn’t feel right for this story’s characters. When they’re far in the background, the details blur together to become unrecognizable. When they’re too close, they look 30 years older than the young adults they are. There doesn’t seem to be an in-between for these two styles and it doesn’t do the book justice. That being said, Peeples designs of the monsters Kwang-Jo summons is quite creepy and imaginative. Hi-Fi’s colors also try to help out the illustrations, but in the end, the art just falls short.
Conclusion:
I had a ton of fun coming back to DC’s version of China. The Justice League of China are still interesting as they grow, the action is exciting, and the plot leaves you hungry for more. The art, unfortunately, leaves much to be desired, but the story does most of the heavy lifting. If you haven’t had a chance to read this series yet, this is the perfect jumping-on point. I highly recommend this if you want a new series to read.
The DETECTIVE PIKACHU film is coming out in 2019. Casting announcements have been rolling out, including such talents as Rita Ora, Justice Smith, and Chris Geere. However, the only actor confirmed as the voice for a Pokemon is Ryan Reynolds, who will play the titular detective. Since this movie is happening, whether we want it to or not, let’s try to deduce who could be a good fit for some of the more notable pocket monster.
Meowth – Steve Buscemi
Meowth is a huge part of the POKEMON anime series, as the sidekick of Team Rocket. Whether Jesse and James appear, Meowth will hopefully get a cameo – and Buscemi is the one to play him. Buscemi has done tons of fun acting roles, and Meowth is right up that alley. The Brooklyn-born actor could bring cunning, humor, and emotion to the Brooklyn-accented cat. If Meowth is going to get his CGI film debut, Buscemi is the perfect fit.
Charizard – Samuel L. Jackson
Charizard is one of the more iconic pocket monsters. For a character like this, you need a big name – and, let’s be honest, someone who can get loud. For that, few people can bring energy and talent to a role like Samuel L. Jackson. Jackson is a big name actor, and rightly so, as the actor has tons of iconic film roles. No doubt Jackson would bring the same talent and commitment to the legendary Fire/Flying-type.
Raichu – Sam Rockwell
Sam Rockwell is a cool, hilarious actor who’s finally starting to get his due recognition. The actor is getting a lot of acclaim for his role in THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING, MI. Rockwell could play the cool, sarcastic older relative of Ryan Reynolds’s Detective Pikachu. Sam Rockwell absolutely has the acting chops and personality to bounce off Ryan Reynolds. Plus, it’s a fun callback to Rockwell’s role in the animated action movie G-FORCE. For the 5 other people who remember and like that movie, this is a spot-on casting idea.
Greninja – Hiroyuki Sanada
Greninja recently netted the honor of Japan’s #1 most popular Pokemon. Why not cast an incredible Japanese actor to fill the role? Sanada has starred in many films, and is set to star in huge upcoming projects like INFINITY WAR and JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 3. He could do an incredible job as the calm, action-ready Greninja, should Pikachu have a need for backup.
Jigglypuff – Rachel Bloom
Jigglypuff was frequently a fun character that would pop up in the POKEMON anime. If the mischievous singer gets a guest spot in the upcoming movie, Rachel Bloom could nail the part. Bloom’s CW series CRAZY EX-GIRLFRIEND is a hilarious triumph, and proves she has the acting & musical chops for make the role work. Imagine Bloom, as Jigglypuff, rocking out with her own musical number in the film. That alone should sell this casting choice.
Machamp – Dwayne Johnson
The Rock should be in every modern film franchise these days. Johnson’s body of work is almost as impressive as his actual body. Johnson has insane charisma, and is a proven voice talent with Disney’s MOANA. Machamp could be a fun bruiser-type character for Pikachu’s posse. Plus, The Rock needs some experience befriending dangerous monsters before his upcoming film RAMPAGE.
Gengar – Willem Dafoe
For the cunning and devilish Ghost Pokemon, few could fit the role as well as Willem Dafoe. Many may remember him as the Green Goblin in Sam Raimi’s SPIDER-MAN film trilogy. Now, Dafoe is getting love for his brilliant performance in THE FLORIDA PROJECT. While that role was not nearly as villainous as Norman Osborn, Dafoe no doubt still has his edge. If DETECTIVE PIKACHU still needs a villain, they need look no further than the wonderful Willem Dafoe.
Magikarp – Ben Schwartz
Schwartz is a comedic powerhouse who could bring a whole lot of fun to the film. The comedy actor is killing it in the DUCKTALES revival, and is widely known for playing Jean-Ralphio in PARKS AND RECREATION. He would be hilarious in the role of a struggling Magikarp, trying to help out. It could even be hilarious if we saw Ben as the evolved monster Gyrados. This kids movie could do with a hilarious character like Magikarp, and Schwartz could bring him to life.
Gardevoir – Ruth Negga
The fantastic British actress could have an awesome take on the psychic powerhouse. Negga has been involved in several “geeky” projects, including PREACHER and WARCRAFT. As Gardevoir, Negga could turn in a great performance, aiding the Detective and his friends. It would also be nice to see some Hoenn region representation in the film. It may not be as action-packed a role as PREACHER’s Tulip, but it could be an awesome character with a solid performance by Negga nonetheless.
Muk – Danny DeVito
If DeVito won’t get his rightful spot as Pikachu, at least let him play the Pokemon equivalent of the Trash Man.
Obviously, there are hundred of Pokemon not included on this list. Are there any Pokemon you hope to see in the movie? Who would you want to play them? Let us know your thoughts – I mean, why not, right?
It’s that time of year again. Oscar night is right around the corner, and the race for Best Picture has never been hotter. As the prognosticators attempt to decipher what the various guild awards mean, there’s no telling which way the 90th Academy Awards will go. So instead of breaking down what will win the night’s biggest prize, we’ll take a look at which film is most deserving of being named 2017’s best film.
To be fair, all nine of this year’s Best Picture nominees are ambitious and intriguing on some level. What follows is merely a completely subjective breakdown of the relative quality of this particular crop of films, taking into account personal preference and whether they are truly worthy of representing the year in cinema. Without further delay, let’s jump right into this year’s Best Picture ranking.
9. Darkest Hour
No one is disputing the strength of Gary Oldman’s leading performance as Winston Churchill in this Joe-Wright-directed historical drama. Indeed, the film’s success hinges on his work. The tale of Churchill grappling with the decision to take Great Britain into World War II is certainly compelling, especially in a time when political leaders tend to divide more than they inspire. Still, Darkest Hour doesn’t represent the kind of cinematic achievement worthy of claiming the Best Picture statuette, not when one considers its competition.
8. Phantom Thread
Few filmmakers are as beloved by hardcore cinephiles as Paul Thomas Anderson. So news of a reunion between the auteur and his There Will Be Blood star Daniel Day-Lewis had the industry giddy with anticipation. Even so, Phantom Thread is one of the more divisive films nominated this year, with a vocal minority decrying its misogyny and warped take on romance. Day-Lewis is, of course, outstanding — as are co-stars Vicky Krieps and Lesley Manville — but, as memorable as its Jonny Greenwood score is, the film is ultimately too problematic to be crowned this year’s victor.
7. Dunkirk
Fans of films like Memento, Inception and The Dark Knight trilogy have been waiting for director Christopher Nolan to get his long-awaited Best Director nomination. This World War II drama — which actually shares some story points with Darkest Hour — finally earned him a spot on the shortlist. Although the technical precision and narrative ambition of Dunkirk are worthy of praise, the film’s distant, clinical approach to a real-life historical event undermines Nolan’s mission to draw audiences into the experience. Instead, he creates a film that is a marvel to look at but lacks any true emotionality.
6. Call Me By Your Name
Critics have been swooning over this love story since its premiere at the Sundance Film Festival last year. The sumptuous Italian setting and powerful lead performance by Timothée Chalamet are definite highlights, as director Luca Guadagnino’s film details the forbidden love between a teenage boy and his father’s research assistant. Yet, Call Me By Your Name doesn’t manage to convey the central romance as convincingly as it presumes. So, despite the strength of this production and an unforgettable final shot, the film falls short of Best Picture material.
5. The Post
A film centering on the war between journalism and government has never felt more timely than it does right now. For that alone, The Post feels like a particularly easy pick for Best Picture. Too easy, in fact. Steven Spielberg continues his love affair with history and coaxes standout performances from Oscar winners Tom Hanks and (especially) Meryl Streep. But the film treads too much similar thematic ground with recent Best Picture winner Spotlight to become our favorite to win this year. Besides, everyone involved has already proven their mettle in superior films, making The Post feel like a footnote to their careers.
4. Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
This black comedy/drama about vengeance and forgiveness is heavily tipped to be a favorite for Best Picture, in large part due to the powerful performances by Frances McDormand and Sam Rockwell. Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri provokes complex discussion as much as it seeks to entertain and, in many ways, feels like the best crystallization to date of writer/director Martin McDonagh’s specific skill set. It remains to be seen if it is on the road to winning this year’s top prize. Regardless, its vision of a messy, imperfect world and the people scrambling to make sense of it all resonates.
3. Lady Bird
The conversation behind Lady Bird has continually praised the film’s specificity in detailing a teenage girl’s (Saoirse Ronan) coming-of-age and especially her complicated relationship with her mother (Laurie Metcalf). Indeed, Greta Gerwig’s solo directorial debut has an air of authenticity to it that helps the angst and the humor universally translate to all viewers, even if they aren’t growing up in Sacramento. Films about high school are usually either riddled with lame gags and cliches or wind up feeling too melodramatic and self-serious. Lady Bird avoids both extremes with an honest tale of how much adolescence can suck.
2. Get Out
Aside from perhaps Wonder Woman, no other 2017 release proved to be as culturally potent or phenomenally successful as this directorial debut from writer/director Jordan Peele. Part biting racial satire, part chilling horror film, Get Out plays hop-scotch with so many different genre conventions that the fact that it works at all is a miracle. Now consider just how well this intricate, expertly crafted film pulls it all off and rewards repeat viewings. Daniel Kaluuya delivers a breakout performance, and Peele instantly establishes himself as one of the strongest filmmakers working today. But can it snag Best Picture?
1. The Shape of Water
Sure, it may feature a romance between a mute woman and an Amphibian Man, but director Guillermo del Toro’s tribute to monster movies has far more on its mind than simply an interspecies love connection. In fact, The Shape of Water wholeheartedly embraces passion in all its forms, denouncing the malaise isolation breeds. The film’s marriage of Gothic horror and timeless romance is driven not by what separates us but by how we are the same. Right now, that’s a message we sorely need, and in that way, The Shape of Water perfectly encapsulates the year 2017. The very definition of a Best Picture.
Which Best Picture nominee do you want to see win this year’s top award? Let us know in the comments section below!
