strongest: minorities
weakest: direction + structure
Director: Bruce Beresford
Writer: Susan McMartin
Actors: Eddie Murphy, Britt Robertson, Natascha McElhone
“Sicario” (Denis Villeneuve, USA 2015)
strongest: direction + music
weakest: structure
Director: Denis Villeneuve
Writer: Taylor Sheridan
Actors: Emily Blunt, Josh Brolin, Benicio Del Toro
“The Light Between Oceans” (Derek Cianfrance, USA 2016)
strongest: script + music
weakest: structure + humor
Director: Derek Cianfrance
Writers: Derek Cianfrance (written for the screen by), M.L. Stedman (novel)
Actors: Michael Fassbender, Alicia Vikander, Rachel Weisz
On mothers’ interchangeability, see also Frozen River (Courtney Hunt, 2008)
“All We Had” (Katie Holmes, USA 2016)
strongest: minorities
weakest: script
Director: Katie Holmes
Writers: Josh Boone (screenplay), Jill Killington
Stars: Eve Lindley, Richard Kind, Mark Consuelos
“Always Shine” (Sophia Takal, USA 2016)
strongest: direction
weakest: message
Director: Sophia Takal
Writer: Lawrence Michael Levine
Actors: Mackenzie Davis, Caitlin FitzGerald, Lawrence Michael Levine
“Indignation” (James Schamus, USA 2016)
strongest message and dialogues
weakest humor
Director: James Schamus
Writers: Philip Roth (based on the novel by), James Schamus (written for the screen by)
Actors: Logan Lerman, Sarah Gadon, Tracy Letts
“Arrival” (Denis Villeneuve, Canada 2016)
Director: Denis Villeneuve
Writers: Eric Heisserer (screenplay), Ted Chiang (based on the story “Story of Your Life” written by)
Actors: Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner, Forest Whitaker
“The center of the film remains our transmutation of sympathy for a grieving mother into sympathy for a woman who knows she will be grieving for a child yet unborn, and yet embraces her destiny.”
[When is Now? By David Bordwell in Observations on film art, Wednesday | November 23, 2016. http://www.davidbordwell.net/blog/2016/11/23/arrival-when-is-now/]
“The Night Watch” (Richard Laxton, UK 2011)
Director: Richard Laxton
Writers: Sarah Waters (novel), Paula Milne (screenplay)
Actors: Jenna Augen, Neal Barry, Claudie Blakley
“Interstellar” (Christopher Nolan, US 2014)
Director: Christopher Nolan
Writers: Jonathan Nolan, Christopher Nolan
Actors: Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain
“Incendies” (Denis Villeneuve, Canada 2010)
Director: Denis Villeneuve
Writers: Denis Villeneuve (scenario), Wajdi Mouawad (play)
Actors: Lubna Azabal, Mélissa Désormeaux-Poulin, Maxim Gaudette