Written by Regina Sanders. Media by Hengyi Chi.
Lights. Camera. Action! Grab your popcorn and pull up a seat. On March 4, 2018, the 90th Academy Awards will be broadcast from the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, California. The evening will be presented by late-night talk show host, Jimmy Kimmel, and the program will air on ABC.
Here are highlights of some of the nominated films:
“Call Me By Your Name,” directed by Luca Guadagnino, is a breakout film about an Italian summer romance. Timothée Chalamet stars as Elio Perlman, a Jewish-Italian boy living in Northern Italy. His father, Mr. Perlman, played by Michael Stuhlbarg, is a professor of archeology. Every summer, the family invites a graduate student to work with him. This summer, Jewish-American Oliver comes to work on his academic paper. What ensues, however, is a passionate and deep romance between the two. The movie is based on André Aciman’s 2007 novel of the same name. “Call Me By Your Name” is nominated for Best Picture, Best Actor (Timothée Chalamet), Best Adapted Screenplay (James Ivory), and Best Original Song (“Mystery of Love,” Sufjan Stevens).
I saw “Call Me By Your Name” in St. Louis during its limited screening. It is one of the most beautiful movies I have witnessed. It captured me from the opening scene and did not let go.
Jordan Peele’s “Get Out” was a hit. The story follows Chris Washington, a Black man, as he meets his girlfriend’s, Rose Armitage’s, white family for the first time. What begins as a normal and awkward visit quickly spirals into a horror-filled time. You can next see Daniel Kaluuya, who plays Chris, in Marvel’s “Black Panther.” And you can see Allison Williams in HBO’s “Girls.” Notably, “Get Out” is Peele’s directorial debut. “Get Out” is nominated for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, and Best Original Screenplay.
On her experience watching the film, student Brenna Wiens stated, “The [movie] was quite original and the plot was packed.”
“Dunkirk” is Christopher Nolan’s latest masterpiece. Known for the Dark Knight Trilogy, “Interstellar,” and “Inception,” this movie is just another testament to his talent. This World War II film details the Allied forces’ evacuation from the Dunkirk beaches in the northern part of France. Known as Operation Dynamo, Dunkirk is broken down into three sections. Part one, “The Mole,” follows Tommy, a British Army Private played by Fionn Whitehead, as he survives a German ambush and makes it to the beaches. Part two, “The Sea,” focuses on the small army of private ships dispatched to save the soldiers. The story focuses on a soldier, played by Cillian Murphy, suffering from PTSD, and ship owner Mr. Dawson, played by Mark Rylance. Part three, “The Air,” focuses on two Royal Air Force Spitfire pilots: Collins, played by Jack Lowden, and Farrier, Tom Hardy. With limited fuel, the two men’s mission is to shoot down German pilots before they destroy Allied ships. With fast-paced music by Hans Zimmer and high stakes, this movie grabs you and does not let you go. Dunkirk is nominated for Best Picture, Director, Cinematography, Film Editing, Production Design, Sound Editing, Sound Mixing, and Original Score
Student and ACRE, Kristin Knudsen, attended a screening of Dunkirk while it was in theaters. “Something that I thought was amazing I learned after [the movie]: [Christopher Nolan] purposely only filmed [Dunkirk] from the perspective of the French and English soldiers. Seeing that elevates the feeling of suspense and added to the realism.”
If you would like a chance to watch, or re-watch, this year’s Oscar-nominated movies, AMC 12 in Edwardsville will be hosting a two-day event. This will be a Best Picture Showcase. On February 24, 2018, “Phantom Thread,” “Lady Bird,” “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri,” and “The Shape of Water” will be playing. On March 3, 2018, “Dunkirk,” “Darkest Hour,” “Call Me By Your Name,” “The Post,” and “Get Out” will be playing.
Good luck to the nominees!
