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Rarely has there been a summer holiday period filled with such rich movie fare. Three films in particular promise to have a profound impact on 2018's Oscars race, and are simply must-see viewing.
The already much-hailed dark comedy Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, the epic Winston Churchill historical drama Darkest Hour and the heartfelt, other-worldly fairy tale The Shape of Water have all been strongly favoured as Best Picture candidates for the Academy Awards, and have already won 14 Golden Globes awards between them.
The leads (Frances McDormand in Three Billboards; Gary Oldman in Darkest Hour and Sally Hawkins in The Shape of Water) have all won rave reviews, with critics labelling them Best Actor/Best Actress front runners.
Three Billboards is the story of a divorced mother waging war with the local police department over lack of progress in resolving the murder of her teenaged daughter. Her broken-hearted anger becomes so intense she rents three billboards needling the police; tensions flare in the small Missouri community in a movie which intriguingly marries conflict with comedy.
Alongside McDormand the film is graced with a strong supporting cast, with the ever-impressive Woody Harrelson, who almost steals the show, Sam Rockwell and Peter Dinklage (Tyrion Lannister from Game of Thrones).
Now in New Zealand cinemas, Three Billboards has already won four Golden Globe Awards including Best Picture, Best Actress (Frances McDormand), Best Supporting Actor (Sam Rockwell), Best Screenplay, and is nominated for 9 BAFTAs in February.
McDormand's stunning effort has seen her complete a rare four-pronged collection of top awards - an Oscar (as Best Actress for Fargo), a Tony (Best Lead Actress in a Play for Good People in 2011) and an Emmy (Best Lead Actress in a Mini-Series or Movie for Olive Kitteridge). Nominated for Best Actress at the upcoming BAFTAs, this may soon become an incredible set of five.
Darkest Hour (in cinemas now) tells the compelling story of Winston Churchill's ascent to power just in time to face his "darkest hour" as Nazi Germany mobilises ahead of World War II. Churchill's foes are not so much Hitler and his henchmen but political enemies at home – the film follows Churchill three weeks prior to the famous rescue mission at Dunkirk, as he makes decisions leading to the evacuation of British soldiers.
Whilst Darkest Hour is supported by well-known actors Kristin Scott Thomas and Stephen Dillane, the film centres around a bravura performance from Gary Oldman as Winston Churchill.
Oldman, recently voted by Ranker as the best actor never to win an Oscar, could change that this year with his performance. He recently won the coveted Best Actor award at the Golden Globes, and is strong favourite to take out the Best Actor award at the upcoming BAFTAs. Among Oldman's many memorable have been punk rock star Sid Vicious (Sid and Nancy) and Lee Harvey Oswald (JFK). Though his movies have grossed nearly $11 billion worldwide, he was not nominated for an Oscar until 2011's Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy. Expect to see him back in the mix this year where he is a strong favourite to win Best Actor.
Also turning heads, The Shape of Water is set in the 1960s Cold War era in the US. Working as a cleaner in a top-secret government laboratory, Hawkins' character Elisa is mute, leading a life of silence and isolation when she discovers an intriguing classified experiment.
What unfolds is a tense story of love, loyalty and sacrifice as Elisa develops an other-worldly connection the likes of which she's never experienced. Part fairy tale, part science fiction, part romance, The Shape of Water allows Hawkins to turn in an impressive performance, communicating magnificently without words. For this she has received nominations for Best Actress at this year's Golden Globes and BAFTAs, and appears to be in a a two-way battle with Frances McDormand for the coveted Oscar in March.
Richard Jenkins and Octavia Spencer (a previous Oscar winner) also deliver masterful performances in The Shape of Water, reflected in their nominations for Golden Globes as Best Supporting Actor and Actress respectively.
Despite the tough competition, The Shape of Water (in cinemas January 18) could yet prevail in the tight awards race. It has received a phenomenal 12 nominations at the upcoming BAFTAs, and has already won Best Film at the Golden Lion awards this year, and director Guillermo del Toro won the Golden Globe for Best Director, and received the same award at the Los Angeles Film Critics Awards, where Hawkins also won Best Actress.
There's a reason critics are making such a fuss about these three films. They are not to be missed.
Reviews
The BBC enthused about the movies and their leads earlier this month, when previewing Oscar chances (decided in March):
• Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (in New Zealand cinemas from January 1): "Best film and best original screenplay recognition looks certain and Frances McDormand is currently the favourite for the best actress Oscar."
• Darkest Hour (from January 11): "Oldman's seemingly effortless embodiment of the wartime leader has won almost universal praise...Oldman has been the favourite for best actor since the film's Telluride premiere."
• The Shape of Water (January 18): "Since it premiered at the Venice Film Festival, it's been wowing audiences. Sally Hawkins is only a fraction behind current best actress favourite Frances McDormand."
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
•Five stars from the Guardian, Evening Standard, Daily Telegraph and The Times. Kevin Maher, The Times: "The pinnacle of [director Martin] McDonagh's directorial career so far...Three Billboards is a remarkable maturation, boasting tear-jerking melancholy, a real-world milieu and richly complex characters.
• Nicholas Barber, BBC: "In parts of this propulsive, well-appointed and wonderfully acted period drama, his [Churchill's] situation is so precarious it doesn't look as if he'll last the year, let alone the war. Never mind his battles with Hitler and Mussolini, his battles with politicians in his own party are testing enough.
• Richard Lawson, Vanity Fair: "The Shape of Water revealed its graceful dimensions, its compassion and ingenuity and surprising frankness. It is as richly realised, as uniquely captivating, as anything you're likely to see."