Best Picture Nominee Catch Up Movie: Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017)

Written and directed by Martin McDonagh

Stars: Frances McDormand, Sam Rockwell, Woody Harrelson, Lucas Hedges, Clarke Peters, Caleb Landry Jones, Abbie Cornish, Željko Ivanek, and John Hawkes

After seeing the trailer for Martin McDonagh's latest film, The Banshees of Inisherin, I realized that I did not see his most successful movie. I know that Frances McDormand and Sam Rockwell got a fuckton of awards for their performances. The movie is good, but I have some problems with it.

A grieving mother, Mildred Hayes (McDormand) takes it upon herself to erect three billboards, calling out the police for not doing anything to solve the rape and murder of her daughter, Angela. The billboards cause a stir with the Chief of Police, Willoughby (Harrelson) and hothead Officer Dixon (Rockwell) in particular.

Knowing McDonaugh's previous work, I knew that there was going to be some politically incorrect dialogues and situations. The story hinges on the billboards and how they cause an uproar in the community of Ebbing. Were the people going to be nice? No. I didn't expect them to be.

The performances by McDormand, Harrelson and Rockwell were fantastic. They deserved their nominations.

I did have some questions. What was up with the confrontation at Mildred's shop? What was the accent that Abbie Cornish had? I love McDonagh's dialogue. There were some lines that were jarring to me. I kept thinking, "No one will say that."

The tone, the atmosphere, the performance were the highlights for me.

Rating: 8/10

The Sessions

The Sessions (2012)

Directed by Ben Lewin

Screenplay by Ben Lewin

Based on the article, "On Seeing a Sex Surrogate" by Mark O'Brien

Stars: John Hawkes, Helen Hunt, William H. Macy, Moon Bloodgood, Rhea Perlman, Adam Arkin, Annika Marks, W. Earl Brown and Robin Weiger

The first mention of this movie was tied to my seeing Killer Joe at the Landmark Theater when a trailer of it came out. Then, that was it. No mention about when it was coming out. Nothing was said until award season came around with John Hawkes and Helen Hunt getting some love. It was kismet that I am reviewing this movie on Single's Awareness Day. It is a touching story that I didn't want to end.

This is not the first time that Mark O'Brien's story was tossed about during award season. Back in 1996, Jessica Yu made the documentary, Breathing Lessons: The Life and Work of Mark O'Brien that went on to win the Oscar for Best Documentary Short Subject the next year. It was surprised that another aspect of Mark's life went into the national consciousnesses. 

The Sessions is based on the article that Mark O'Brien wrote when he was questioning if he could feel any connection with another human being. Mark portrayed by John Hawkes is stricken with polio and is confined to an iron lung for most of his waking hours. He comtemplates what God has in store for him. Due to his Catholic umbrining he has a traditional way of looking at sex. He turns to the new priest of the church he goes to, Father Brendan (Macy) about God's take on him losing his virginity. After giving his blessing, Mark gets in touch with a sex surrogate named Cheryl played by Oscar nominee Helen Hunt that will help him lower his guard to devirginize him over a period of six sessions.

The Sessions flew under the radar for me so long that I didn't know that it was coming out on DVD until last Tuesday. Wow. Watching the trailer I thought the movie would be a comedy. The movie turns out to be a very heartfelt dramedy. It's a simple about a man that wanted to feel that connection with another human being. That's what all humans want connection.

Mark O'Brien is a human being that wanted to be treated like anybody else even though he had condition that left him in an iron lung. A fasicinating person to know, even in a ficitionalized matter. I believe that it was John Hawkes subtle performance that made me fall in love with Mark, and want to get to know him more.  Helen Hunt was nuanced in her portyral in this movie. I have never heard of a sex surrogate before watching this movie. All the questions I had about her line of work were answered for me. She is not a prositute. She helps physically disabled men fulfill a basic human need.

My Rating

 

Martha Marcy May Marlene

Martha Marcy May Marlene (2011)

Written and directed by Sean Durkin

Stars: Elizabeth Olsen, Sarah Paulson, Hugh Dancy, Brady Corbet, Julia Garner, Maria Dizzia, Louisa Krause and John Hawkes

I heard nothing but great things about Sean Durkin's full-length feature film debut. He won the directing award at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival. People were mainly talking about Elizabeth Olsen breakthrough performance. This film was recommended by a fellow film fanatic, Tassoula from the Cinebanter podcast that I listened to where put this as her number one film from last year. I have to say thanks for the recommendation, T.

An emotionally damaged young woman named Martha (Olsen) escapes from a hippie cult commune in the middle of the Catskills. She is scared, dirty, hungry and lonely. The first person that she calls is her big sister, Lucy (Paulson). Lucy brings Martha to her vacation home in Connecticut where she shares with her new husband, Ted (Dancy). Martha has been gone for two years and Lucy wants to know where she has been. Martha wants to tell Lucy about her whereabouts, but she has been brainwashed by the leader of the group, Patrick (Hawkes). Martha has a problem from differentiating from what is real and what is in her mind.

This movie hooked me from the first frame based solely on Elizabeth Olsen's performance. She was transcendent. I could see the pain in her eyes, face and mannerisms. I felt her pain and she struggles to bring back some normalcy in her life. She finds it very difficult to adjust. It's heartbreaking to watch. I cannot stress how good Elizabeth was in this movie. I was surprised that she did not get an Oscar nomination for her role. It is a crime.

I thought that the movie was going to go one way, but it didn't. I love that it was not predicable. I enjoyed the dynamic between Lucy and Martha. Lucy is trying to get into Martha's odd motivations and behavior. Martha's unpredictable behavior causes strain in Lucy and Ted's relationship.

I have to say one final thing to say about John Hawkes. I thought he was very good here, but I thought that he character reminded a lot of his character in Winter's Bone. A grimy, scruffy hillbilly who doesn't respect women that much. I hope that he doesn't get typecast in those roles in the future.

My Rating

Winter's Bone

Winter's Bone (2010)

Directed by Debra Granik

Written by Debra Granik and Anne Rosellini

Based on the novel by Daniel Woodrell

Stars: Jennifer Lawrence, John Hawkes, Garret Dillahunt, Lauren Sweetser and Dale Dickey

This movie was very well recieved when it came out back in 2010. I wanted to see this movie, because it recieved some much acclaim.The movie was nominated for four Oscars, including Best Picture, Adapted Screenplay, Supporting Actor for John Hawkes and Actress for Jennifer Lawrence. This film made her into a star. Personally, I didn't get the point of the film.

Set in Ozarks, it seems like a world left behind. A very bleak existence with Ree Dolly (Lawrence) trying to take care of her brother and sister while her mother is suffering from a mental disorder. The family doesn't enough food to feed themselves everyday so they have to depend on donations to survive. Their ho-hum life gets worse when Sheriff Baskin (Dillahunt) comes by to warn them about their father, Jessup. Jessup is out on bond, but he put the house/farm up to get out. He is missing in action. If he does not show at his trail, they would take the house. Seeing as Ree does not want to end up out of the cold, she ventures out to her relatives to see where her father is at.

The biggest thing that I took out of the movie is that either the men act like complete dicks and the women were evil shrews. The only saving grace with the neighbor, Sonya (Shelley Waggener). I didn't really understand the motivations of the characters. Why did they do what they did? The whole central mystery was intriguing, but then it was left unresolved. I felt like, why was the point of the movie? It looked like things was be as terrible as it was in the beginning of the story. Nothing changed. Why did this story need to be told? I felt like chunks of the story were left hanging.

As much as I thought this people in this town were disgusting, John Hawkes was polarizing as Ree's uncle, Teardrop. He deserved his Oscar nomination for his role. This frail little cokehead has a commanding presence whenever he appears on screen. I thought that Jennifer Lawrence was fine here. I didn't think she deserved her nomination. It didn't feel like her character had an arc. It feels like the movie is very one note, one color, one tone to it.

My Rating