KANSAS CITY, Mo. –Some genuine Oscar contenders are now available to stream just before the ceremony. Check Shawn and Russ as they review the choices!
1) COCO (PG)
Disney/Pixar
RUSS
Pixar scores yet again with “Coco,” a richly animated fantasy about a young boy who travels to the great beyond during Mexico’s yearly Day of the Dead festivities. As usual, the magicians at Pixar expertly manipulate viewers’ hearts and funny bones simultaneously.
SHAWN
Yes, “Coco” is one of Pixar’s very best. But it’s a lot more than just an animated feature. It’s a celebration of animation, culture and family. It’s all beautifully imagined and perfectly executed. This is one of Pixar’s very best.
RUSS: 4 Popcorn Bags
SHAWN: 5 Popcorn Bags
2) THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING, MISSOURI (R)
Fox Searchlight
RUSS
Although filmed in North Carolina, Martin McDonaugh’s bitterly funny and profane comic drama “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri” has a very dark “show me” attitude. Frances McDormand and the movie are Oscar favorites.
SHAWN
The film’s comedy is super dark. I’m taking pitch black. So much so you don’t realize how brutally nasty the proceedings are in “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri.” But there is also a tenderness and a beauty in the way this story is told. It’s possibly the best movie of the year. Keenly written and superbly acted. I am still predicting that his movie wins Best Picture.
RUSS: 4 Popcorn Bags
SHAWN: 5 Popcorn Bags
3) DARKEST HOUR (PG-130
Focus Features
RUSS
Gary Oldman’s electric performance as Winston Churchill is the main attraction of “Darkest Hour,” a drama about Britain’s internal political turmoil leading up to WWII. The narrative takes some ill-advised turns, but it’s fairly effective thanks to Oldman’s inspired turn.
SHAWN
It’s an uninspired movie with a great performance.
RUSS: 3 Popcorn Bags
SHAWN: 3 Popcorn Bags
4) MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS (PG-130
20th Century Fox
RUSS
Kenneth Branagh’s take on the classic Agatha Christie whodunit “Murder on the Orient Express” is like its namesake: Luxurious, workmanlike…and just a bit stodgy.
SHAWN
I’m not about this movie.
RUSS: 3 Popcorn Bags
SHAWN: 2 Popcorn Bags
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