90th Academy Awards: Best Actress

Oscars 2018: Best Actress

With Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri handing Francis McDormand her most juiciest on-screen role since Fargo, a film which of course also brought Academy Award success for the star, the category for Best Actress is seemingly over before it begins, with McDormand's portrayal of the hateful, scenery chewing Mildred Hayes picking up awards in a similar ilk to Gary Oldman's colossal domination of success as Winston Churchill, and whilst Saoirse Ronan's role as the angsty, hysterically colourful titular teenager in Greta Gerwig's masterful Lady Bird would be my own personal choice for the win, it seems my plead to the Academy will seemingly go rather unnoticed. Elsewhere, in a alternate universe, Sally Hawkins would undeniably lead the line for her outstanding performance in Guillermo del Toro's The Shape of Water whilst Margot Robbie continues to show off her sturdy acting chops as the disgraced ice skating star, Tonya Harding in the wildly comical, I, Tonya, and with Meryl Streep capping off the nominations for The Post, it's no surprise to say that this year's ballot paper is one of the strongest in recent memory. As for the forgotten few, whatever anyone may think of the movie, Jennifer Lawrence is absolutely fabulous in Aronofsky's divisive mother! in her best on-screen role to date, whilst who can forget Jessica Chastain's performance as Molly Bloom in Aaron Sorkin's directorial debut, Molly's Game, and whilst it's a tad late to change the nominations, here are the top points for the Best Actress category...

Winner - Francis McDormand (Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri)

Personal Favourite - Saoirse Ronan (Lady Bird)

Nomination Snub - Jennifer Lawrence (mother!)

Film Review: I, Daniel Blake

"When You Lose Your Self Respect You're Done For..."

Although not exactly the self-proclaimed lover of all things Cannes related, my awareness of this years' winner of the prestigious if rather sanctimonious Palme d'Or was brought to my attention when it was announced Ken Loach had won the award for the second time, only the ninth filmmaker to win the award more than once, with his first win being for The Wind That Shakes The Barley in 2006. With his most recent award winning venture. I, Daniel Blake, Ken Loach has created a down-to-earth, sociopolitical drama which takes the continual perils of life in modern day England into the hands of Dave Johns' titular Daniel Blake who explores the desperation and downfalls of the British state with the film portraying one person's view regarding the maligned and wholly disenchanted nature of the welfare system in the UK as a whole. Although the film has no chance to admire both sides of the coin, with Ken Loach focusing primarily on the benefactors, or in this case, lack of benefactors, I, Daniel Blake is indeed a powerful drama, one which has a succession of heartbreaking scenes throughout, but one which is also questionable in its' own notions and statements regarding society today. 

When it comes to the good stuff, even the great stuff, the now infamous scene in the food bank is sure to bring tears to the eyes of anyone with an inch of empathy, whilst any scene in which Haley Squires' Katie takes to the screen adds the real sense of depth that makes I, Daniel Blake the powerful drama that is eventually becomes. Where the film does falter is scenes in which Dave Johns' takes out his frustrations on the lowly workers of the welfare system, those who carry out the rules and regulations of the state without being directly involved in creating them, resulting in a film which takes a leaf out from the ideologies of Ken Loach's and argues the blame of today's issues in society lies solely on everyone even slightly connected to the key rule-makers. Although this might not be the case, the film certainly seemed to argue such a point and it is this that makes me appreciate the movie to a large extent but also prevents me from loving it like many critics have seemed to do. Powerful at times, questionable in others, I, Daniel Blake is effective to a large extent but also suffers from some controversial ideas that conflict with my own, which in itself is the true test of whether a true drama really works; controversy. 

Overall Score: 8/10