Year by Year list for each year of my life

Responding to a challenge from a friend, here are my favorite films from each year of my life.

1968: The Producers
1969: The Wild Bunch
1970: Woodstock
1971: The Last Picture Show
1972: The Candidate
1973: Day For Night
1974: The Conversation
1975: Nashville
1976: Network
1977: Star Wars
1978: Halloween
1979: The Black Stallion
1980: Airplane!
1981: Raiders of the Lost Ark
1982: E.T.
1983: El Norte
1984: Once Upon a Time in America
1985: The Breakfast Club
1986: Platoon
1987: The Princess Bride
1988: Running on Empty
1989: Do The Right Thing
1990: GoodFellas
1991: Beauty and the Beast
1992: Malcolm X
1993: Fearless
1994: Schindler's List
1995: A Little Princess
1996: Les Miserables
1997: Titanic
1998: Saving Private Ryan
1999: American Beauty
2000: Magnolia
2001: Moulin Rouge
2002: Minority Report
2003: City of God
2004: Before Sunset
2005: A History of Violence
2006: United 93
2007: Pan's Labyrinth
2008: Slumdog Millionaire
2009: Up in the Air
2010: Inception
2011: The Tree of Life
2012: The Perks of Being a Wallflower
2013: Gravity
2014: Boyhood
2015: Mad Max: Fury Road
2016: La La Land

2017: Dunkirk

2018: Roma

2019: Parasite

2020: Hamilton

My Oscar ballot (2017)

I've posted what I think will happen in the Oscars tonight. Now for my personal choices. I will be abstaining in three categories where I have not seen at least two of the nominees, Best Foreign Language Film, Best Animated Feature and Best Documentary Feature, as I have not seen enough of the nominees to vote.

BEST PICTURE: La La Land

I am a fan of musicals, and my two favorites, Singin In The Rain and Umbrellas of Cherbourg, are both major influences on this film's look and tone. I also love how director Damien Chazelle took the joy of musicals and placed in the emotions of the reality. In a strong list of nominees, this for me is an easy choice.

BEST ACTOR: Andrew Garfield, Hacksaw Ridge

I would be fine with any of the nominees, actually. It is a strong list. But Garfield impressed me the most. For most of the film, which is a bit routine, he nobly plays the strength required to stay a pacifist but still serve his country. But he secures my vote for how he plays gaining strength through faith in the climactic sequence where he saves many lives. His body language, total exhaustion yet determination, shows a power which wins my vote.

BEST ACTRESS: Emma Stone, La La Land

I loved the quiet strength of Ruth Negga's performance. Stone wins my vote for believably playing the highs and lows of pursuing acting stardom, and especially for the climactic explosion of emotion in her performance of "Audition" where she maps out why she does what she does.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Jeff Bridges, Hell or High Water

I will also be happy if Mahershala Ali wins. But Bridges had the most effect on me, as he quickly establishes in his laid back tone that he is smarter than every one in the room, picks apart the main characters' plan, and yet also plays the genuine emotion when the violence hits too close to home.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Viola Davis, Fences

I would have voted for her in the category where she belongs, Best Actress. One of our great actors in the performance of her year, and the emotional heart of the film, this is a really easy choice.

BEST DIRECTOR: Damien Chazelle, La La Land

For the same reason I am voting for best picture.

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY: Hell or High Water

An impressive uses of the tropes of cops and robbers and the old west to offer a criticism of the economics of today.

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY: Moonlight

I loved the intelligence of Arrival's screenplay, but the character study of Moonlight, also offering a criticism of the economics of today while also the lack of opportunity in the inner city for the main character to explore his homosexuality, hit me harder emotionally.

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY: La La Land

For the use of color and light and the way it calls back the musicals of the past.

BEST COSTUMES: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

The costumes and sets created a world in a way that no other did this year, a world which looks like a past that didn't happen, given the infusion of magic.

BEST SOUND MIXING: Arrival
BEST SOUND EDITING: Arrival

For me, the sound of Arrival was more critical to its success than any other film this year.

BEST EDITING: La La Land

Cutting together a musical yet remaining invisible is a tough, tough achievement.

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS: The Jungle Book

The animals look real to me.

BEST MAKEUP: Star Trek Beyond

For the creation of the character of Jaylah alone.

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

See costumes.

BEST ORIGINAL SONG: "Audition (The Fools Who Dream)" from La La Land

This is the emotional climax of the film, so I prefer it to the other La La Land song.

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE: La La Land

The other two score albums I bought this year -- Moana and Sing Street -- were not nominated. When a musical really soars, it is a testament to its music. the use of jazz to give this a subtly different flavor fits the themes and gives it life.

2017 Oscar Nominated Shorts (Documentary)

Here is my take on this year's Oscar nominees for Documentary Short:

"Extremis": A look at two families deciding whether or not to keep a loved one on life support suffers from the decision to focus on the issue and not let us get to know its subjects well enough. I've seen the winner from five years ago, "Saving Face", which also focused on a doctor and two patients but let us know all three as people to truly sympathize. That is the difference between a good film and a great one. Grade: B+

"4.1 Miles": This is the distance across the sea from Turkey to the Greek island which is exhausted from dealing with refugees. The film focuses on one boat captain who patrols the sea as many refugees are forces onto vessels that are not sea worthy and have to be rescued. Two harrowing rescues are portrayed, and I will never forget the captain's face, a man who is clearly tired but feels obligated to save as many lives as possible. Grade: A+

"Joe's Violin": A New York City public radio calls for donations of musical instruments results in a Holocaust survivor donating the violin he bought in the 1940s and the inner city girl who is given the instrument. Both seem like lovely people. But there was something about this short which seemed over committed to patting itself on the back, as a simple act of human decency was blown out of proportion. Grade: B

"Watani: My Homeland": Shot over several year, this follows a family in Syria where the father fights in the rebel resistance to the decision to leave the country and the culture shock of settling in Germany. Rarely does a short cover so much ground without feeling rushed, and give us such a sense of the members of one family. This is a towering achievement. Grade: A+

"The White Helmets": Also set in Syria, this profiles a volunteer crew which patrols the areas being bombed in Syria and work as first responders to save life at the risk of their own lives. This a solid example of what a short should do: teaches us about a worthy group and what they do. Grade: A

Who should win: All three shorts set in Syria. Having to choose one, I will vote for the one which effected me the most emotionally, and that is "Watani: My Homeland".

Who will win: When in doubt, this category goes for the Holocaust survivor. I also think there will be a bit of a split on the Syrian shorts, so "Joe's Violin" will win. While the other four deal directly with issues of death, this will be seen as more uplifting.

2017 Oscar Nominated Shorts (Live Action)

Interestingly, none of the nominees for Live Action Short is in English. Here is my take on the nominees:

"Ennemis Interieurs": This French entry features an interrogation of an applicant for French citizenship blunts its impact by keeping the interrogator a bit of a blank slate. This is a strong statement about how search for terrorism claims victims, but is also a bit of a missed opportunity for greatness in leaving one character undefined. Grade: B+

"La Femme et le TGV": This Swiss entry overplays its cards by making the female lead too much of a character. The underlying true story of how her habit of waving at the passing train every day out her window leads to a friendship with a train engineer is charming, but also a near miss for greatness. Grade: B+

"Silent Nights": Every year, there seems to be one short that has enough story it should have been a feature. Denmark's entry looks at a relationship between an African immigrant and a Salvation Army architect has some great moments, but could have been even better with more time to fill in a few story gaps. Still, a very emotionally effective story. Grade: A

"Sing": Hungary's entry should be seen by anyone who has felt belittled by a teacher. A choir teacher's desire for acclaim for her school choir causes her to be very cruel to some of her students. The students' response leads to a near perfect climax. Grade: A+

"Timecode": Spain's entry is certainly the strangest of the bunch, as the communication between two security guards left me puzzled but intrigued, until it pays off with a fantastic final gag. This would not work at a long length, but at 15 minutes, it is just about the right length for its joke. Grade: A+

What should win: The emotional payoff of "Sing" has my vote.

What will win: I could build a case for all five, but I think the emotion of "Silent Nights" plus its message of tolerance for others, will carry the day.

2017 Oscar Nominated Shorts (Animated)

Here's my take on this year's nominees for Best Animated Short:

"Blind Vaysha":  A supposed fable about a girl who has one eye who sees the past and the other the future. I think there's supposed to be something profound here, but it eluded me. Some nice animation, but there were better shorts available this year. Grade: B-

"Borrowed Time": An tone poem about a sheriff in the old west remembering his father. Loved the animation of the landscape, and the tone helped immensely by a beautiful score by two time Oscar winner Gustavo Santaolalla. Grade: A

"Pear Cider and Cigarettes": Clocking in at 35 minutes, this is longer than the other four nominees combined. The narrator tells the story of a friend known for his daring and mischief who has died. The topic and that it all in flashback allows for some evocative imagery and genuine emotion. Grade: A

"Pearl": Using the life story of a car to tell the story of a single father and daughter who are both musicians, this may have the simplest animation of the five, but this is the one that caused me to tear up, as the emotions of the short will remind many parents of their relationships with their children. Grade: A+

"Piper": Here's the short you saw, as Pixar's annual masterpiece played in front of Finding Dory in theater's this year. Amazingly photorealistic animation and a beautiful score by Adrian Belew highlight the charming story of a young bird learning to find food at the seashore. Grade: A+

What should win: "Pearl". I tend to vote with my heart over my head.

What will win: "Piper". Pixar tends to dominate animation for a reason.

2017 Oscar predictions (part 2)

Best Cinematography

Nominees: Arrival (Bradford Young); La La Land (Linus Sandgren); Lion (Greig Fraser); Moonlight (James Laxton); Silence (Rodrigo Prieto)

Winner: La La Land. The use of color influenced by classic musicals makes this a slam dunk.

Best Costume Design

Nominees: Allied (Joanna Johnston); Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Colleen Atwood); Florence Foster Jenkins (Consolata Boyle); Jackie (Madeline Fontaine); La La Land (Mary Zophres)

Winner: Jackie. Other nominees are stylish, but this is an actual re-creation of history done well. Fantastic Beasts and La La Land have a chance, the other two would be shocking.

Best Film Editing

Nominees: Arrival (Joe Walker); Hacksaw Ridge (John Gilbert); Hell or High Water (Jake Roberts); La La Land (Tom Cross); Moonlight (Joi McMillon, Nat Sanders).

Winner: La La Land. This is usually a good category for musicals, Cross already has one Oscar editing for Damien Chazelle -- he won for Whiplash.

Best Makeup and Hairstyling

Nominees: A Man Called Ove (Love Larson and Eva Con Bahr); Star Trek Beyond (S. Anne Carroll and Joel Harlow); Suicide Squad (Alessandro Bertolazzi, Giorgio Gregorini and Christopher Nelson)

Winner: Star Trek Beyond. I'm guessing the movie people actually saw that they actually liked has the best chance.

Best Original Score

Nominees: Jackie (Mica Levi); La La Land (Justin Hurwitz); Lion (Dustin O'Halloran and Hauschka); Moonlight (Nicholas Brittel); Passengers (Thomas Newman)

Winner: La La Land. Easiest pick of the year.

Best Original Song

Nominees: "Audition (The Fools Who Dream)" from La La Land (Justin Hurwitz, Benj Pasek, and Justin Paul); "Can't Stop the Feeling!" from Trolls (Justin Timberlake, Max Martin, Karl Johan Schuster); "City of Stars" from La La Land (Justin Hurwitz, Benj Pasek, and Justin Paul); "The Empty Chair" from Jim: The James Foley Story (J. Ralph and Sting); "How Far I'll Go" from Moana (Lin-Manuel Miranda).

Winner: "City of Stars" from La La Land. It won the Golden Globe, so is the designated choice. But the emotional climax of the film is "Audition" so it will get a lot of votes. If there is a split, "How Far I'll Go" has a slight chance. But not a major chance.

Best Production Design

Nominees: Arrival (Patrice Vermette, Paul Hotte); Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Stuart Craig, Anna Pinnock); Hail, Caesar! (Jess Gonchor, Nancy Haigh); La La Land (David Wasco, Sandy Reynolds-Wasco); Passengers (Guy Hendrix Dyas, Gene Serdena).

Winner: La La Land. The use of colors is highly stylized. The look of Fantastic Beasts has a chance as well.

Best Sound Editing

Nominees: Arrival (Sylvain Bellemare); Deepwater Horizon (Wylie Stateman and Renee Tondelli); Hacksaw Ridge (Robert Mackenzie and Andy Wright); La La Land (Ai-Ling Lee and Mildred Iatrou Morgan); Sully (Alan Robert Murray and Bub Asman).

Winner: Arrival. Often this category goes to the blockbuster with the most sound. But sound design is key to Arrival, and that is rewarded here.

Best Sound Mixing

Nominees: Arrival (Bernard Gariépy Strobl and Claude La Haye); Hacksaw Ridge (Kevin O’Connell, Andy Wright, Robert Mackenzie and Peter Grace); La La Land (Andy Nelson, Ai-Ling Lee and Steve A. Morrow); Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (David Parker, Christopher Scarabosio and Stuart Wilson); 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi (Greg P. Russell, Gary Summers, Jeffrey J. Haboush and Mac Ruth)

Winner: La La Land. Always a good category for musicals, so I am going to pick the musical.

Best Visual Effects

Nominees: Deepwater Horizon (Craig Hammack, Jason Snell, Jason Billington and Burt Dalton); Doctor Strange (Stephane Ceretti, Richard Bluff, Vincent Cirelli and Paul Corbould); The Jungle Book (Robert Legato, Adam Valdez, Andrew R. Jones and Dan Lemmon); Kubo and the Two Strings (Steve Emerson, Oliver Jones, Brian McLean and Brad Schiff); Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (John Knoll, Mohen Leo, Hal Hickel and Neil Corbould).

Winner: The Jungle Book. Everything in the film except the boy is a computer effect. 

Best Animated Feature Film

Nominees: Kubo and the Two Strings, Moana, My Life as a Zucchini, The Red Turtle, Zootopia.

Winner: Zootopia. The message of tolerance allows it to override a very strong field.

Best Foreign Language Film

Nominees: Tanna (Australia); Land of Mine (Denmark); Toni Erdmann (Germany); The Salesman (Iraq); A Man Called Ove (Sweden).

Winner: The Salesman, Director Asghar Farhadi already has one Oscar. Also, he will win votes as a protest against Trump's travel ban. Given the presumed frontrunner, Toni Erdmann, is a dark comedy, which rarely does well in this category, I am picking the Iranian film for the upset.

Best Documentary Feature

Nominees: Fire at Sea; I Am Not Your Negro; Life, Animated; O.J.: Made in America; 13th.

Winner: O.J.: Made in America. Epic filmmaking rewarded, and also it does not hurt it is the most seen of the five nominees.

The shorts will be addressed in future posts.

2017 Oscar predictions (part 1)

Best Picture

Nominees: Arrival; Fences; Hacksaw Ridge; Hell or High Water; Hidden Figures; La La Land; Lion; Manchester By the Sea; Moonlight.

Winner: La La Land. It seems to be running away with the award. Going into the nominations, Moonlight and Manchester by the Sea seemed to be the other two frontrunners, but La La Land is upbeat while the other two are downbeat. La La Land is also helped by being so technically proficient, which is why it has six more nominations than any other film. Hidden Figures has made a late charge but is still way too far behind, Plus Oscar voters love films which celebrate the creative process. Anything but La La Land would be a massive upset.

Best Director

Nominees: Denis Villeneuve, Arrival; Mel Gibson, Hacksaw Ridge; Damien Chazelle, La La Land; Kenneth Lonergan, Manchester by the Sea; Barry Jenkins, Moonlight.

Winner:Chazelle. The Directors Guild of America awarded Chazelle, coupled with the picture analysis above, makes Chazelle the prohibitive favorite.

Best Actor

Nominees: Casey Affleck, Manchester by the Sea; Andrew Garfield, Hacksaw Ridge; Ryan Gosling, La La Land; Viggo Mortensen, Captain Fantastic; Denzel Washington, Fences.

Winner: Affleck. He's won most of the precursor awards, but lost the Screen Actors Guild to Washington. However, (amazingly) Washington had never won a SAG award before this year. He's the only Oscar winner in this category, and he has two of them. Gosling has an outside chance if La La Land has a complete sweep.

Best Actress

Nominees: Isabelle Huppert, Elle; Ruth Negga, Loving; Natalie Portman, Jackie; Emma Stone, La La Land; Meryl Streep, Florence Foster Jenkins.

Winner: Stone. Her performance of  "Audition" is the emotional climax of your likely best picture winner, and it is all about her singing that song. Portman is the only possible upset, but that is extremely unlikely.

Best Supporting Actor

Nominees: Mahershala Ali, Moonlight; Jeff Bridges, Hell or High Water; Lucas Hedges, Manchester by the Sea; Dev Patel, Lion; Michael Shannon, Nocturnal Animals

Winner: Ali. No one other than Shannon would truly shock me. Ali has won the most precursors, and is helped by two other factors: his elegant speech when he won the SAG award, and that he is also excellent in another best picture nominees, Hidden Figures.

Best Supporting Actress

Nominees: Viola Davis, Fences; Naomie Harris, Moonlight; Nicole Kidman, Lion; Octavia Spencer, Hidden Figures; Michelle Williams, Manchester by the Sea.

Winner: Davis. This was her award as soon as Paramount announced this was a supporting performance. She is such the emotional core of Fences, I believe she would have won lead actress had this performance been classified as lead.

Best Adapted Screenplay

Arrival (Eric Heisserer); Fences (August Wilson); Hidden Figures (Allison Schroeder and Theodore Melfi); Lion (Luke Davies); Moonlight (Barry Jenkins and Tarell Alvin McCraney).

Winner: Moonlight. While the Academy might jump at the chance to award a Broadway legend in Wilson, I think this is the place to award the achievement of writer/director Jenkins, whose Moonlight is a major achievement.

Best Original Screenplay

Hell or High Water (Taylor Sheridan); La La Land (Damien Chazelle); The Lobster (Efthymis Filippou, Yorgos Lanthimos); Manchester by the Sea (Kenneth Lonergan); 20th Century Women (Mike Mills).

Winner: Manchester by the Sea. I think all three best picture nominees have a shot here. La La Land could certainly win in a sweep but I think that is seen as more of a technical achievement than a writing one. I think Lonergan wins as much for persisting through the struggles with his previous film, Margaret, which is now near Hollywood legend as he does for the script he delivered here.

2017 Oscar Nominations Predictions (Part 2)

Let's get technical ...

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

Arrival
La La Land
Lion
Moonlight
Silence

BEST COSTUME DESIGN

The Dressmaker
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
Hail Caesar!
Jackie
La La Land

BEST FILM EDITING

Arrival
La La Land
Manchester by the Sea
Moonlight
OJ: Made in America

BEST MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING

Florence Foster Jenkins
Hail Caesar!
Star Trek Beyond

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE

Hidden Figures
Kubo and the Two Strings
La La Land
Lion
Moonlight

BEST ORIGINAL SONG

Runnin' (Hidden Figures)
Audition (The Fools Who Dream) (La La Land)
City of Stars (La La Land)
How Far I'll Go (Moana)
Drive It Like You Stole It (Sing Street)

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
Hail Caesar!
The Handmaiden
La La Land
Silence

BEST SOUND EDITING

Arrival
Deepwater Horizon
Hacksaw Ridge
The Jungle Book
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

BEST SOUND MIXING

Arrival
Hacksaw Ridge
The Jungle Book
La La Land
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS

Arrival
Deepwater Horizon
Doctor Strange
The Jungle Book
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

2017 Oscar Nominations Predictions (Part 1)

I feel confident that La La Land will lead the nominations, followed by Moonlight and Manchester By The Sea. I also suspect Hidden Figures may do better than expected. (The predictions are in alphabetical order, not order of likeliness.)

BEST PICTURE

Arrival
Fences
Hacksaw Ridge
Hidden Figures
Hell or High Water
La La Land
Lion
Manchester by the Sea
Moonlight

BEST DIRECTOR

Denis Villeneuve (Arrival)
Mel Gibson (Hacksaw Ridge)
Damien Chazelle (La La Land)
Kenneth Lonergan (Manchester by the Sea)
Barry Jenkins (Moonlight)

BEST ACTOR

Casey Affleck (Manchester by the Sea)
Andrew Garfield (Hacksaw Ridge)
Ryan Gosling (La La Land)
Viggo Mortensen (Captain Fantastic)
Denzel Washington (Fences)

BEST ACTRESS

Amy Adams (Arrival)
Taraji P. Henson (Hidden Figures)
Natalie Portman (Jackie)
Emma Stone (La La Land)
Meryl Streep (Florence Foster Jenkins)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Mahershala Ali (Moonlight)
Jeff Bridges (Hell or High Water)
Kevin Costner (Hidden Figures)
Lucas Hedges (Manchester by the Sea)
Dev Patel (Lion)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Viola Davis (Fences)
Naomie Harris (Moonlight)
Nicole Kidman (Lion)
Octavia Spencer (Hidden Figures)
Michelle Williams (Manchester by the Sea)

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

Arrival
Deadpool
Fences
Hidden Figures
Moonlight

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

Hell or High Water
La La Land
The Lobster
Manchester by the Sea
Zootopia

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM

Kubo and the Two Strings
My Life as a Zucchini
Moana
The Red Turtle
Zootopia

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM

Land of Mine (Denmark)
Toni Erdmann (Germany)
The Salesman (Iran)
Paradise (Russia)
A Man Called Ove (Sweden)

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE

The Eagle Huntress
Gleason
OJ: Made in America
13th
Weiner