Sometimes everything isn’t happily ever after for our heroes. WatchMojo has put together a list for a great topic for discussion: movies where the villain ends up killing the hero. The hero’s journey doesn’t always end the way we’d hope (those reeling after this weekend’s Avengers: Infinity War are feeling that). Sometimes a hero sacrifices themselves to ensure their ultimate goal. Sometimes a hero’s goal IS their own death. Sometimes….well, sometimes they bad guys DO win. It goes without saying that unless you feel like you’ve pretty much seen iconic movies GIANT SPOILER WARNING! What do you think of WM’s selections? Off the top of my head, Road to Perdition, Shane, and Logan (which is in a lot of ways an homage to Shane) spring to mind. I think we can definitely find two better selections than The Wicker Man and Batman vs. Superman (seriously, guys?). What other films do you think should have made this list where the hero didn’t make it to the end credits?
It’s impossible to talk about Hacksaw Ridge without first getting the subject of Mel Gibson out of the way, since this film marks his return to the director’s chair after over a decade of exile following a series of, um, incidents. My honest opinion of Gibson is that he is mentally ill, as there were no “incidents” (to be clear “incidents” means “horrific racist blow-ups”) in the over 20 years he’d spent in Hollywood, at least that I’m aware of, prior to roughly about the time he made The Passion of the Christ. He’s certainly had his career marred for life for his behavior and any hint of it rising again will see a now-socially networked Hollywood descend on him and pick him to pieces. That’s a long-winded way of saying Hacksaw Ridge isn’t just Mel Gibson’s return; it’s his last chance with an industry and public filled with people he’s slandered. That being said, Hacksaw Ridge premiered at the Venice Film Festival to a 10-minute standing ovation at the film’s ending. Whether that’s a byproduct of the industry’s bizarre tendency to selectively forgive despicable behavior (looking at you, Roman Polanski) or because Hacksaw Ridge‘s last hour deserves that reaction is tough to discern. It is Mel Gibson’s best directorial effort since he won two Oscars for Braveheart, a unique story of a unique hero, and one of the most powerful and moving films of 2016. Continue reading Movie Review: Hacksaw Ridge (2016) “Please, Lord, Help Me Get One More.”→
Hollywood loves a comeback story, but given why Mel Gibson’s been wandering in the desert for a decade, his seems the most unlikely comeback of all. Though I thought it was underwhelming, his acting return in Blood Father was lauded, and his first directed film in a decade earned a 10-minute standing ovation at The Venice Film Festival. The trailer is extremely impressive, and it looks like Gibson and Hacksaw Ridge will be figuring into Oscar season. Continue reading Trailer Time: Hacksaw Ridge Trailer #1 (2016) *Is This Gibson’s Return to Directorial Brilliance?*→
The Oscars are three weeks from tomorrow, and a new Best Picture (likely The Revenant) will be crowned. Each year, during Oscar Week, we reveal the KT Community choice (which you can currently vote for on the homepage) and I do The Renaissance Film Awards, which is how I stay sane (ish) during Oscar ceremonies that manage to incense me more than most Presidential debates. The Revenant was a great film, no doubt, but this year was so good that it’s not even in my top 10 anymore. Thus, the Academy and I will be disagreeing on Best Picture again, a historical trend that I am bored enough today to document in detail.
Here are the Best Picture winners from the last 25 years vs. my pick for that year’s best film. Beside the Academy’s pick I have where I would have ranked it that year (there is a massive spreadsheet behind this fixation) and beside mine how it fared at the Oscars. Even with the expansion of the Best Picture to a max of 10 nominations, I’ve only agreed with the Academy twice in the last 25 years (though they picked my runner-up thrice), and the trend seems to have us moving further apart, whereas there was a good decade stretch where my pick was at least among those nominated. Take a look and see which you’d pick. Continue reading Best Pictures of the Last 25 Years: KT Pick vs. Oscars→
Last Sunday, 12 Years a Slave became the newest recipient of Best Picture. The month prior, I did my Renaissance Film Awards where Gravity (which ended up winning the most Oscars) won Best Picture. I have been doing my version of the awards for ten years, but I’m not going to lie, there’s a nerdtastic spreadsheet ranking every movie I’ve seen in every year going back to the year I was born and, for fun, I did the awards there for what would have happened if I was doing the Rennys then. I thought it might be a fun diversion to look back on the last 25 years and see what my pick was for Best Picture vs. what actually won. I’ll also include for the last two years, the KT Community’s pick. Let’s get to it!
2013
My Pick: Gravity
Runner-Up: Prisoners
KT Community Pick: The Hobbit The Desolation of Smaug
The Oscar Went to……12 Years a Slave (ranked 21st on my list)
