Like so many other groups that announce their awards relatively early in the season, the American Film Institute isn't the greatest predictor of future Oscar success. After all, here are some of the movies they've chosen as the year's best in the past- Sully, Zootopia, Inside Out, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Into the Woods, Interstellar, Saving Mr. Banks, The Dark Knight Rises, and so on. What do those films have in common? Well, none of them ended up with a Best Picture nomination at the Oscars. The AFI tends to make more populist choices than the Academy, and while it's great to see superhero movies and sci-fi extravaganzas recognized as the year's finest, don't get your hopes up that the Academy will do the same. That being said, the American Film Institute is a prestigious institution, and it's always fascinating to see what films their voters choose for the end-of-year list. Check out AFI's favorite films of 2017 below!
The Big Sick
Call Me By Your Name
Dunkirk
The Florida Project
Get Out
Lady Bird
The Post
The Shape of Water
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Wonder Woman
While I haven't seen three of the films on the list, I can't disagree with any of the choices made by AFI. In fact, many of these movies are going to be a factor on my Top 25 list as well. It is worth noting that Joe Wright's Darkest Hour was ineligible due to its nature as a British production, which means that its exclusion from this list is nothing to fret about for Focus. But beyond that, there are some noticeable snubs that are starting to become a trend as awards season pushes forward. Even with a stunning 94 on Metacritic, Paul Thomas Anderson's Phantom Thread looks like an Oscar non-starter. Maybe there just haven't been enough screenings yet, but it's not gaining a whole lot of traction in the Best Picture race. I think it's safe to say that Dee Rees's terrific Mudbound is going to be hurt by the Netflix factor, and films like The Disaster Artist and I, Tonya are going to be relegated to below the line categories. It is exciting to see Wonder Woman here, but I seriously doubt that it's going to mean much by the time Oscar nominations roll around. The superhero bias is still firmly in place.
That being said, it is interesting to see a consensus forming around a group of films. With the exception of the aforementioned Darkest Hour and Wonder Woman, AFI and Critics' Choice essentially picked the same movies as the best of the year, and six films were also chosen by the National Board of Review. If I'm part of the campaign for Call Me By Your Name, Dunkirk, The Florida Project, Get Out, Lady Bird, or The Post, I'm feeling pretty good right now. And if I'm Fox Searchlight, I'm breathing a sigh of relief on behalf of both The Shape of Water and Three Billboards. In fact, these eight films could very well end up being your Best Picture nominees, with The Big Sick serving as a ninth wild card flick. We're still waiting on Star Wars: The Last Jedi and All the Money in the World (and The Greatest Showman, I guess?), but the pieces are starting to come into place. Do I have any idea what film will win? Absolutely not. But it's sure to be an interesting couple of months.
Image courtesy of Warner Bros.
Poster via Amazon Studios
The Big Sick
Call Me By Your Name
Dunkirk
The Florida Project
Get Out
Lady Bird
The Post
The Shape of Water
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Wonder Woman
While I haven't seen three of the films on the list, I can't disagree with any of the choices made by AFI. In fact, many of these movies are going to be a factor on my Top 25 list as well. It is worth noting that Joe Wright's Darkest Hour was ineligible due to its nature as a British production, which means that its exclusion from this list is nothing to fret about for Focus. But beyond that, there are some noticeable snubs that are starting to become a trend as awards season pushes forward. Even with a stunning 94 on Metacritic, Paul Thomas Anderson's Phantom Thread looks like an Oscar non-starter. Maybe there just haven't been enough screenings yet, but it's not gaining a whole lot of traction in the Best Picture race. I think it's safe to say that Dee Rees's terrific Mudbound is going to be hurt by the Netflix factor, and films like The Disaster Artist and I, Tonya are going to be relegated to below the line categories. It is exciting to see Wonder Woman here, but I seriously doubt that it's going to mean much by the time Oscar nominations roll around. The superhero bias is still firmly in place.
That being said, it is interesting to see a consensus forming around a group of films. With the exception of the aforementioned Darkest Hour and Wonder Woman, AFI and Critics' Choice essentially picked the same movies as the best of the year, and six films were also chosen by the National Board of Review. If I'm part of the campaign for Call Me By Your Name, Dunkirk, The Florida Project, Get Out, Lady Bird, or The Post, I'm feeling pretty good right now. And if I'm Fox Searchlight, I'm breathing a sigh of relief on behalf of both The Shape of Water and Three Billboards. In fact, these eight films could very well end up being your Best Picture nominees, with The Big Sick serving as a ninth wild card flick. We're still waiting on Star Wars: The Last Jedi and All the Money in the World (and The Greatest Showman, I guess?), but the pieces are starting to come into place. Do I have any idea what film will win? Absolutely not. But it's sure to be an interesting couple of months.
Image courtesy of Warner Bros.
Poster via Amazon Studios
Comments
Post a Comment