5 Movies That Didn't Win Oscars (but you should still see)

Usually there's a bit of a lull after awards season in terms of good films to see in theaters, although I was thoroughly impressed with Logan, and Beauty and the Beast wasn't half bad either. Get Out has also gotten rave reviews, though I haven't seen it. 

If you are looking for something good to watch besides catching up an all of the Oscar winning films, if you're just more of a home body who prefers to watch movies at home, or if you just can't get out of the house, (read you have a child under the age of 10) check out these great films that didn't win any awards, but probably should have...

1. Hunt for the Wilderpeople

This quirky Indie film was one of my favorites of 2016, but for whatever reason it didn't get much notoriety. Perhaps because it wasn't tragic enough to keep up with the other movies that came out last year. The spunky young protagonist is sure to keep you laughing and it was fun to see Sam Neill in such a likable role. 

2. Kubo and the Two Strings

This animated film is honestly unlike anything I've seen, but the visual effects alone are worth the watch. The combination of stop-motion graphics and computer graphics makes it visually stunning. The effects were impressive enough to earn an Oscar nomination, but it lost to Jungle Book. This is a fresh take on storytelling that is both endearing and funny, and I it's pretty all-ages friendly.

3. Loving

I wrote about this story a couple of weeks ago and it still stands as one of the most moving and well-acted films last year. The subtlety of the directing and acting is a thing to behold and somehow enhances the importance of this true story. Ruth Negga secured her first Oscar nomination for this role, and I wish Joel Edgerton had been among those nominated.

4. Silence

This movie felt like a punch to the gut. I remember holding my breath at parts, and gripping the arm rest at others. I was shocked and disappointed that this film received so few accolades as it is one of the most genuine depictions of doubt and faith I've ever seen. The film earned a Cinematography nomination, but didn't win. And Andrew Garfield stunned with his performance of the tortured Jesuit priest wrestling with God's presence in the midst of suffering. 

5. Sing Street

John Carney continues to impress with his music-centric films like Once and Begin Again, but for reasons I don't understand, this movie didn't get on audience's radars at all. This coming of age story set in Ireland in the 80s is a touch biographical for Carney and I loved the music and performances from the young actors. It's a sweet story that I hope more people come to know about.

What's on your list of favorites that didn't get enough recognition last year?

11 Movies I'm Excited for in 2017

We are almost a fourth of the way through 2017 and it already seems like it's a great year for film. Believe it or not many of the annual film festivals have come and gone and critics have been celebrating this year's line up from old favorites like Edgar Wright who debuted his action flick, Baby Driver at SXSW this year, to feature newcomers like Geremy Jasper who wrote and directed the highly praised Patti Cake$.

Some projects from directors and casts are still untitled and not much has been released about them, but I do have a growing list of films I am really excited to see and review this year. I'm sure it will be ever-evolving, but here's what I've got so far in no particular order...

1. The Big Sick

Michael Showalter wrote and directed the well-received albeit underrated Hello, My Name is Doris last year and debuted his new romantic comedy/drama at Sundance where it was picked up by Amazon Studios. The film is inspired by Michael Showalter's own marriage and highlights the complexities of interracial relationships and cultural differences. His wife co-wrote the script with him. The film seems real and raw and charming and I'm excited to see it. It will hit theaters in July. 

2. Baby Driver (mentioned above)

I might be partial to this one because I have been binging Mad Men and am constantly marveling at Jon Hamm's performance, but it seems there's more to this movie than its star studded cast. A car chase action/thriller with the brilliant mind of Edgar Wright behind it, and a soundtrack that's sure to make you want to jump out of your seat in the theater and dance? Yes please. It comes out in wide release in August.

3. Molly's Game

After more than two decades of writing classic stories like A Few Good Men and The American President, Aaron Sorkin is making his directorial debut with this drama starring Jessica Chastain, Idris Elba, and Kevin Costner. I'm really rooting for Aaron's success behind the camera! The release date is still TBD.  

4. Dunkirk

After a bit of a lull from Christopher Nolan, I'm looking forward to seeing what fresh approach he can bring to the war film genre. Also, with a cast like Tom Hardy, Kenneth Branagh, and Mark Rylance, I feel like it's a win all around even though some critics are not sure he can pull off the weightiness of a WWII epic with a PG-13 rating. You can see Dunkirk in theaters in July.

5. Wind River

Taylor Sheridan got his start as an actor on shows like Sons of Anarchy and Veronica Mars, but he's made a pretty smooth transition to writing and directing. First with the critically acclaimed Sicario, and then hitting it big with Oscar nominated Hell or High Water. Wind River stars Jeremy Renner and Elizabeth Olson. It got a lot of attention at Sundance this year. You should see it in theaters in August.

6. The Shape of Water

Even though I can't stomach all of Guillermo del Toro's films, I have a lot of respect for him as an artist. There's not a lot of info about it yet, but The Shape of Water is going to star Octavia Spencer and one of my personal favorites, Michael Shannon. It's set in the Cold War era and falls in the Fantasy genre. I'm definitely intrigued. It should come out some time in November.

7. Murder on the Orient Express

I think a classic story like this in the hands of Kenneth Branagh is sure to delight. The cast is equally amazing with names like Johnny Depp, Penelope Cruz, and Josh Gad. I just wish I didn't have to wait until November to see it.  

8. Darkest Hour

Joe Wright has given us great British classics like Atonement and Pride and Prejudice, so I am hoping this biopic starring Gary Oldman as Winston Churchill gives us some awards season fodder. The film is set to release in November. 

9. Coco

After releasing two films back to back that I was fairly underwhelmed by (The Good Dinosaur and Finding Dory) I'm really hopeful Pixar's new film about Dia De Los Muertos is going to shoot to the top of my list of animated favorites. The subject matter hits close to home for me being hispanic, and the teaser trailer had me feeling all the feels, so I will definitely be first in line for the November opening. 

10. The Current War

A face off between Michael Shannon and Benedict Cumberbatch in the context of a period piece can't be beat in my opinion, but we will see if this film is more show than substance. This film should be released around Christmas time.

11. The Hero

The Hero stars legends Sam Elliot, Katharine Johnson, and funny guy Nick Offerman. It was well-received at Sundance this year. 

There are a few more films that I am expecting good things from, but I don't know much about. There's another Cloverfield movie rumored to debut this year with David Oweloyo and Chris O' Dowd (whom I'm a big fan of). There's also a curious Matt Damon /Kristen Wiig collaboration called Downsizing. Darren Aronofsky, Javier Bardem, and Jennifer Lawrence are teaming up for Mother! and Kathryn Bigelow has an untitled project in the works.

The mysterious Sci-Fi/Thriller, Annihilation will star Natalie Portman, Oscar Isaac and one of my favorite TV actors, Gina Rodriguez. All in all I'm excited to see how these projects unfold and define the entertainment landscape for movie goers this year! 

Logan is a grisly, yet tender look at healing from our wounds

If you're like me you're probably growing weary of the superhero movies. I found myself yawning during fight sequences, rolling my eyes at predictable villain reveals, and checking out by the second act in the last couple of Marvel offerings. It was going to take a fresh approach to the superhero genre for me to stay engaged during another X-Men movie. 

The Logan trailer is what pulled me in at first. With Johnny Cash's haunting song "Hurt" playing in the background, a gray-haired Hugh Jackman, a bed-ridden Patrick Stewart, and a young girl kicking some serious ass, I could tell this film would be different from the other X-Men movies, especially with the R rating. The trailer still gives me chills when I watch it. Logan not only delivers something new to the superhero genre, it tells an important story about humanity, family, and healing from brokenness.

Logan, like most superheroes, has a painful story. He's lost the people closest to him, fought for survival too many times to count, and has had to battle his own demons from inflicting just as many, if not more, wounds than he's suffered. You can see it on his face in this film. It's catching up with him. But the story isn't over. Even if Logan has all but given up on fighting for something good, there might be hope for him yet.

Enter Laura (played by Dafne Keen). Logan isn't about to take any young mutants under his wing. In fact, he thinks that the era of mutants is coming to an end. The other X-Men are nowhere to be found and the only character from movies past who makes an appearance is Charles Xavier, the X-Men's fearless leader once upon a time. 

Logan and Charles are both facing the reality that the power that was once their source of strength is now becoming the cause of their decline. Charles suffers debilitating seizures, which enhanced by his telepathic abilities are deadly. Logan has become a victim to the Adamantium that fills his body as he realizes it's acting as a poison and he doesn't heal from his wounds as quickly as he used to.

In this final journey for Logan, the hope that Laura holds on to and Charles continues to try to inspire him to, helps him regain some of the humanity he's lost, even though the suffering is still real. Logan is gritty. It earns its R rating between the profanity and the graphic violence, but we are able to identify to these characters more than the average superhero movie because the brokenness of the world still comes for these heroes. 

I think Johnny Cash's cover of the song "Hurt" mirrors this story really well, so I'll leave you with the lyrics. You can listen to the song here and then go see the movie and see if you agree. I think it's well worth your time.

I hurt myself today to see if I still feel.

I focus on the pain, the only thing that's real.

The needle tears a hole, the old familiar sting.

Try to kill it all away, but I remember everything.

What have I become? My sweetest friend.

Everyone I know goes away in the end.

And you could have it all, my empire of dirt.

I will let you down. I will make you hurt.

I wear this crown of thorns upon my liar's chair, full of broken thoughts I cannot repair.

Beneath the stains of time the feelings disappear.

You are someone else, I am still right here.

What have I become? My sweetest friend.

Everyone I know goes away in the end.

And you could have it all, my empire of dirt.

I will let you down. I will make you hurt.

If I could start again a million miles away, I would keep myself.

I would find a way.

13th, Loving, and Thoughts on the "Land of the Free"

Stories, when told well, can serve as a warning sign that draws attention to something important. Something very important was said in two films this year that you may have missed, so I want to talk about them here.

The documentary "13th," (an Ava DuVernay project) is a powerful and unsettling look at the injustices being perpetuated by our own constitution, and how the African American community has had to bear most of the weight of this. Here are just a few of the statistics in the documentary:

- From 1970 to 2014, the number of people incarcerated in the U.S. has jumped from 357,292 to 2,306,200

- A white male has a 1 in 17 chance of ending up behind bars in their lifetime, whereas an African American male has a 1 in 3 chance

- The number of black prisoners now exceeds the number of enslaved blacks in 1850

Additionally, the United States only makes up a little bit less than 5% of the world's population, and yet it holds almost 25% of the world's prisoners.

The documentary doesn't try to beat us over the head with shame and guilt. It presents the facts, educates us, and invites us to change our thinking and let this reality really sink in. There were some huge gaps in my understanding of our nation's criminal justice system and my guess is this issue flies under the radar for many of us. You can watch the documentary on Netflix for free right now. There's also a great article on the film from the LA Times if you want to learn more.

The film "Loving " brought things into perspective for me even more. "Loving" is the real-life story of a bi-racial couple living in Virginia in the late 1950's/early 1960's. "13th" zooms out and helps us see the larger institutional and systematic problems around race in this country, while "Loving" zooms in, showing how the system impacted one couple. 

Mildred and Richard Loving (played by Ruth Negga and Joel Edgerton) are from a small, rural town in Virginia where interracial marriage is illegal. After learning they are pregnant they decide to marry in Washington D.C. where it is legal, and then return home to Virginia to raise their family.

The couple is found out and are arrested in the middle of the night. Richard is released on bail the next day, whereas Mildred, pregnant and afraid, is forced to wait through the weekend before she is released. The couple is banished from Caroline county, giving them no choice but to move to Washington D.C. What follows is a nine year journey of their fight to get home. The legal battle that comes as a result of their case leads them all the way to the Supreme Court.  

Jeff Nichols (writer and director) does a beautiful job showing the deep love and commitment Mildred and Richard have for each other, and yet the incredible injustices they must face just to be together. Their marriage is one of the sweetest relationships I've seen portrayed in a film in a long time. They fight for each other and take care of each other even though the journey is painful.

There's also a great documentary on HBO about the Loving's story that I would highly recommend.

It's easy to distance ourselves from a story like Richard and Mildred Loving's, believing that we have made great strides towards freedom and equality as a nation, but "13th" tells a different story - one that shows us that some laws in this country have been and continue to be relics of slavery. 

Loving and 13th shed a not-so-flattering light on a hard question: Does America really deserve to be called: "the land of the free?"

In the documentary about the Lovings, Bernard Cohen, their lawyer says, "The wheels of justice grind slowly." If anything, these two films show us his statement is spot on. I wish there were more I could do to grease the wheels of justice, but for now all I know to do is to tell you to go watch these films and take advantage of the educational tools that they are, and then consider how you can show more kindness, empathy, and respect to everyone who crosses your path.