Tyler Wilson: Award season catchup

The Best Movies of 2016 article that published in the Press two weeks ago is only representative of a moment in time.

Like many moviegoers, I spent much of January playing catchup with award season contenders that didn't screen in our area in time for the list. I've since found time for a few notable titles, including Best Picture Oscar nominee "Hidden Figures" and Martin Scorsese's "Silence."

I'm not sure anything I've seen in the last two weeks would force other movies out of my Top 20, and I won't try to play that game. But depending on your cinematic preferences, there remains plenty of excellent content for all audiences.

"Hidden Figures"

This conventional, feel-good biopic follows three African-American employees at NASA who were instrumental in the operation to launch astronaut John Glenn into orbit. While the film leans hard into biopic tropes, the NASA-based sequences have a procedural energy to them, and lead Taraji P. Henson provides an emotive centerpiece to the movie. She deserved an Oscar nomination. Her co-star, Octavia Spencer, at least earned a Supporting Actress nomination.

"Silence"

Another impeccably made Martin Scorsese film, with cinematography and production design that puts most other large-scale productions to shame. However, there's a reason ?Silence? bombed with audiences and some critics. The movie, clocking in at two hours, 45 minutes, spends a lot of time torturing its protagonists and, by extension, its audience.

Andrew Garfield and Adam Driver play Christian missionaries in Japan at a time when Christianity is forbidden, and followers face death if they refuse to renounce their faith. The first hour works well, as the missionaries search for their missing mentor (Liam Neeson). Then they get captured, and the movie repeats the same sequence of tortuous events for the remainder of the runtime. It's a tough watch, even with all the gorgeous cinematography.

The final act also makes a story choice that muddles the central conflict of the film. Some will find it affirming, while others will wonder how such a nuanced exploration of faith suddenly lands on such a decisive and unearned exclamation.

"Jackie"

Your appreciation of Pablo Larrain's biopic of Jackie Kennedy set in the aftermath of the JFK assassination will depend largely on your ability to cope with Natalie Portman's bold dialect choice. While it took me a good 20 minutes to get acclimated to the pitch of her performance, I came to appreciate how the choice ultimately compliments the wrenching nature of the film. It's a fascinating combination of devastation and strength, complimented by some dynamic visual and music choices by Larrain. Another tough viewing experience, but at least it's a good hour shorter than ?Silence.? This movie would probably contend for a spot in my revised Top 20.

"Weiner"

For some, the topic of disgraced New York politician Anthony Weiner might still be a little raw given his surprise reappearance during the waning days of last year's presidential election. If you can set that aside, the documentary is an engaging piece of history with a doozy of a twist.

The filmmakers follow Weiner on his campaign for New York City mayor, and while his sexting scandal continues to haunt him, his engaging persona and passion for helping people seem to be propelling him on a path of redemption.

Then another scandal hits, and Weiner allows the filmmakers to follow him through the entire trainwreck. It's an unbelievable level of access, and watching the candidate, his staff and wife Huma Abedin try to work through the crisis is as awkward and painful as Michael Scott's worst "Office" antics. It's the political equivalent of watching a NASCAR pile-up. Available on home video.

A quick note on

Oscar nominations

I did pretty well in last week's Oscar nomination predictions article, correctly guessing 39 of the 44 nominees in eight top categories, including all nine of the Best Picture nominees. I'm disappointed to see Amy Adams miss in the Actress category, though Ruth Negga in "Loving" is a worthy alternate. The biggest surprise is Mel Gibson's inclusion in the Director category. "Hacksaw Ridge" was pretty much guaranteed a Best Picture nomination, so I guess it shouldn't really be a surprise. Still, 2017 is crazy.

Tyler Wilson can be reached at [email protected].