Lee Stobby's Blog: 2018

After 8 days with 35 total films viewed (full list at bottom so people don’t have to ask, “did you see X?”), before Sundance announces theirs, I’m going to do mine, including some fun categories, as many choices as I wanted and whatever categories felt interesting to me! Tried to stay positive and decided not to include my negative categories (but I did write them and will gladly discuss with anyone in private...).

HERE WE GO!

Films I cried During From Most To Least Tears (disappointingly few...):

WE THE ANIMALS

LOVELING

EIGHTH GRADE

NANCY

Best Costume Design:

MANDY

Nic Cage’s third act getup, the demon bikers, and does the battle axe count as costume or production design? Just going to give it credit in both categories since it deserves it.

Runner-Up: OPHELIA

Really beautiful gowns, love the see thru Bieber t-shirts Hamlet and his buddy were wearing when they jump in lake...

Best Music Cue / Single Cut:

“Best Eyes...” - EIGHTH GRADE

No RU. This killed me, so it created its own category.

Best Supporting Actress:

Milly Shapiro - HEREDITARY

No RU. There’s nothing else close. One of the most stunning feature film acting debuts ever

Best Production Design:

HEREDITARY

From the detailed miniatures, to the fact they built the entire interior of the house, to all the props, human body parts, SFX gags, the design and specificity of this film is insane.

Runner-Up: MANDY

Everything in the third act, their house in beginning is great with those huge wrap-around windows, the church... BATTLE AXE!

Best Supporting Actor:

Armie Hammer - SORRY TO BOTHER YOU

No RU. My favorite performance of his ever. Captivating and hilarious.

Best Hair and Make-Up:

LORDS OF CHAOS

Some of the most disturbingly realistic violence I’ve seen in a film. Also, they all have perfect, greasy rocker hair.

Runner-Up: MANDY

The demon bikers, everyone looks so dirty, blood is perfect.

Best Credit Sequence(s) and Titles:

ASSASSINATION NATION

The march band down the street is stunning and love the red, white and blue title card.

Runner-Up: MANDY

Calligraphy, colors of different title cards really beautiful.

Best Sound:

HEREDITARY

The sound choices, creativity and effectiveness is insane. No one will leave this film not thinking about how it uses one sound in particular. Brilliant.

Runner-Up: THE GUILTY

The entire film is essentially sound design, and it works so incredibly well to capture attention and create such a palpable, thrilling soundscape.

Best Screenplay:

THE GUILTY

Such a brilliant, simple concept that is so tightly and effectively written.

Runner-Up: HEREDITARY

Such an ambitious, fun, whip smart and irreverent dialogue and yet emotionally raw portrait of grief and mental illness with such a powerful, unique mythology.

Best Cinematography:

1. WE THE ANIMALS

2. HEREDITARY

3. MANDY

4. ASSASSINATION NATION

5. HOLIDAY

Best Music (not just score):

1. ASSASSINATION NATION

2. EIGHTH GRADE

3. HEREDITARY

4. MANDY

5. LORDS OF CHAOS

Best Ensemble:

1. HEREDITARY

2. SORRY TO BOTHER YOU

3. WE THE ANIMALS

4. MONSTERS AND MEN

5. LIZZIE

Best Editing:

WE THE ANIMALS

Brilliant collage of sound, animation, stunning 16MM images weaved together to create such a hypnotic and haunting portrait.

Runner-Up: SEARCH

Such an ambitious and effective use of so many different mediums and restrictions, and yet never losing the story or its heart. Editing and planning this must have been insane.

Best Actor:

Jacob Cedergren - THE GUILTY

It’s incredible that a film that is 90% on one man’s face can be so captivating and Jacob’s stunning performance is a huge reason why.

Runner-Up: Robert Pattinson - DAMSEL

So charming, endearing, weird and fully committed. I love him.

Best Director:

1. Ari Aster - HEREDITARY

2. Jeremiah Zagar - WE THE ANIMALS

3. Gustav Moller- THE GUILTY

4. Boots Riley - SORRY TO BOTHER YOU

5. Bo Burnham - EIGHTH GRADE

Best Actress:

1. Toni Colette - HEREDITARY

Between her and Milly, these are the best performances in a genre film in quite some time. So emotionally raw and full-tilt. It’s highway robbery if she doesn’t get in for BA at Oscars next year.

2. Maggie Gyllenhaal - THE KINDERGARTEN TEACHER

So successfully captures the inter-turmoil and conflict this woman going thru as the stakes continue to raise thru film, yet still being so warm and identifiable.

3. Elsie Fisher - EIGHTH GRADE

So successfully captures the horror and fun of a girl of this age. Film is from her gaze and she makes it so easy to fall into her world.

4. Thomasin MacKenzie - LEAVE NO TRACE

Granik knows how to find them. She carries the film on her shoulders and is best part of film.

5. Andrea Riseborough - NANCY

Like Maggie in TKT, another complicated, unique and dark character yet still does a great job putting us in her shoes.

Ok, and now the big one, in descending order this time!

TOP 10 FILMS:

10. HOLIDAY

Probably the most uncomfortably truthful and unflinching film at festival, feels like being dropped into this world, and it’s more like a documentary where the lines between film and reality blur. Feels like takes don’t begin and end where we see them, but a vivacious world that this insignificant pawn must somehow traverse.

9. BLINDSPOTTING

So powerfully and colorfully captures Oakland, CA in a way I’ve never seen in a film. Does a great job balancing humor, tension and emotion. Loved how it hilariously deals with ideas of identity and gentrification.

8. DAMSEL

A delightful, dark romp. The Zeller Bros are a master of tone, push their actors to be truthful in the face of absurdity. One of the more fun films I saw at festival.

7. THE KINDERGARTEN TEACHER

Centered around a tour-de-force performance from Maggie Gyllenhaal, this film explores one of my favorite themes in film — the idea of purpose and what one is trying to contribute to the world. It so deftly balances a chilling, dark look at a woman falling apart as she struggles with her inability to leave a mark on the world and yet still portraying her as such a warm, inspiring and relatable figure. It so successfully shows the conflict inside her, kept me guessing what was going to happen next, and love the choices it made.

6. TIME SHARE

Fun, unique and Yorgos-esque thriller, has such a great tone and captures this world of all Inclusive resorts in such a great way. Best use of a flamingo in a film I’ve ever seen probably and really enjoyed seeing RJ Mitte again.

5. EIGHTH GRADE

One of the best “coming of age” films in recent memory. Absolutely hilarious and yet insanely stressful, tension-filled and relatable as Kayla struggles thru this time in her life. I laughed, I cried.

4. SORRY TO BOTHER YOU

The most unabashedly fun film at festival, feels like the birth of a new Spike Jonze. So detailed, specific and unique. So excited to see what Boots comes up with next.

3. WE THE ANIMALS

So emotionally raw, intimate, captivating, magical and insanely confidently directed. Left me devastated. Like MOONLIGHT by way of Terrance Malick.

2. THE GUILTY

Stunning concept superbly executed, great acting, perfectly designed, brilliant sound and writing. So simple yet so successful done.

1. HEREDITARY

One of the best horror films ever. Completely unique, powerful, filled with towering performances and stunning visuals and details. This film reminds me why I work in film.

Full List of Films Viewed (in alphabetical order):

A FUTILE AND STUPID GESTURE (still counts if it was on Netflix!)

ASSASSINATION NATION

BLINDSPOTTING

BURDEN

CLARA’S GHOST

DAMSEL

DEAD PIGS

EIGHTH GRADE

THE GUILTY

THE HAPPY PRINCE

HALF THE PICTURE

HEREDITARY

HOLIDAY

THE KINDERGARTEN TEACHER

LEAVE NO TRACE

LIZZIE

LOVELING

LORDS OF CHAOS

MADELINE’S MADELINE

MANDY

THE MISEDUCATION OF CAMERON POST

MONSTER

MONSTERS AND MEN

NANCY

NEVER GOIN’ BACK

OPHELIA

PUZZLE

RUST

SORRY TO BOTHER YOU

SUMMER OF ‘84

THE TALE

TIME SHARE

WE THE ANIMALS

WHAT THEY HAD

Films I Wish I had Seen But Couldn’t Make Work With Schedule:

AMERICAN ANIMALS (literally tried to get in twice and failed both times)

TYREL

WILDLIFE

COLETTE

PRIVATE LIFE

PIERCING

A KID LIKE JAKE

YOU WERE NEVER REALLY HERE
HEARTS BEAT LOUD

Lee Stobby's Blog

Sunday, March 4, 2018

Lee Stobby 2017 Film Award Winners!

Saturday, January 27, 2018

LEE STOBBY’S SUNDANCE 2018 AWARDS!

Films I cried During From Most To Least Tears (disappointingly few...):

Best Costume Design:

Best Music Cue / Single Cut:

Best Supporting Actress:

Best Production Design:

Best Supporting Actor:

Best Hair and Make-Up:

Best Credit Sequence(s) and Titles:

Best Sound:

Best Screenplay:

Best Cinematography:

Best Music (not just score):

Best Ensemble:

Best Editing:

Best Actor:

Best Director:

Best Actress:

TOP 10 FILMS: