Re: Best Cinematography 2017
Posted: Thu Oct 18, 2018 7:14 pm
The Lost City of Z would be my top alternate; I also think Call Me By Your Name and The Florida Project would have been perfectly praise-worthy as well. And I'm not sure what quite to do with Phantom Thread -- even PTA seems to admit he isn't a cinematographer in the traditional sense, which is why he didn't take a credit -- but it's a beautifully shot movie nonetheless. A very strong year.
Precious Doll's use of the word "dusty" is actually a great way to describe Darkest Hour -- it wasn't without visual flourish, but I didn't always feel that was in service of the material (those overhead shots just get distracting), and some of the images do have a stale, musty quality to them.
I did see Mudbound in a theater, and I was happy I did, because the film was such a visually lyrical work, capturing the weather and landscape of the film's Mississippi environment with real authenticity. A very solid nominee.
I also splurged for Dunkirk in IMAX, and similarly felt the decision was worth it -- the movie's visual scope is undeniable, but there's also some real beautiful artistry in even the more quiet shots (like the opening image of the men walking through the empty town, papers flying around them). In a weaker year, it might have had an easy path to the trophy.
The tough thing about a poll like this is that it doesn't always reflect our levels of enthusiasm for the candidates we didn't choose. Because I bet most of us wouldn't have rated this race Blade Runner by a blow-out, not with a film as visually entrancing as The Shape of Water on the ballot. I found the film's mash-up of photographic influences hugely appealing -- it has the look of a classic sci-fi thriller by way of a Sirk melodrama -- and it would have been a perfectly acceptable winner.
But like most, I voted for Deakins, both as career tribute but also on merit. Blade Runner 2049 was full of stunning images, creating a majestic world that felt of a piece with the earlier film while providing a singular look that was all its own. I echo what Mister Tee wrote in his review -- that it almost got ridiculous just how many stunningly-lit set pieces we were treated to throughout the course of the film's running time. One of Deakins's top achievements, and if he had to wait this long to win, this was nonetheless a thoroughly deserving time for him to have done so.
Precious Doll's use of the word "dusty" is actually a great way to describe Darkest Hour -- it wasn't without visual flourish, but I didn't always feel that was in service of the material (those overhead shots just get distracting), and some of the images do have a stale, musty quality to them.
I did see Mudbound in a theater, and I was happy I did, because the film was such a visually lyrical work, capturing the weather and landscape of the film's Mississippi environment with real authenticity. A very solid nominee.
I also splurged for Dunkirk in IMAX, and similarly felt the decision was worth it -- the movie's visual scope is undeniable, but there's also some real beautiful artistry in even the more quiet shots (like the opening image of the men walking through the empty town, papers flying around them). In a weaker year, it might have had an easy path to the trophy.
The tough thing about a poll like this is that it doesn't always reflect our levels of enthusiasm for the candidates we didn't choose. Because I bet most of us wouldn't have rated this race Blade Runner by a blow-out, not with a film as visually entrancing as The Shape of Water on the ballot. I found the film's mash-up of photographic influences hugely appealing -- it has the look of a classic sci-fi thriller by way of a Sirk melodrama -- and it would have been a perfectly acceptable winner.
But like most, I voted for Deakins, both as career tribute but also on merit. Blade Runner 2049 was full of stunning images, creating a majestic world that felt of a piece with the earlier film while providing a singular look that was all its own. I echo what Mister Tee wrote in his review -- that it almost got ridiculous just how many stunningly-lit set pieces we were treated to throughout the course of the film's running time. One of Deakins's top achievements, and if he had to wait this long to win, this was nonetheless a thoroughly deserving time for him to have done so.