THE YEAR'S FIRST HALF IS OVER! But rather than wait for this "halfway mark" for year in review listicles we started at the end of the 1st quarter so you'll have to combine those lists (movies / actresses / actors) with the highlights from your host's April through June screenings for a complete "halfway mark" take. Got it? Unlike many critics orgs and the Oscars, The Film Experience believes that moviegoing is a 12 month long activity and each month can hold worthy efforts. Here are 4 or 5 highlights of what we've seen the past three months per Oscar category in alpha order. (If a movie has an asterisk beside it is has not yet been released). How will they measure up to what's still to come?
Key movies I regret missing this quarter: Beatriz at Dinner, Gifted, Manifesto, and Their Finest
PICTURE and/or DIRECTOR and/or SCREENPLAY
(i couldn't decide which to cut so this first grouped selection is 6 wide)
BABY DRIVER (Edgar Wright)
THE BIG SICK (Michael Showalter)
THE LOVERS (Azazel Jacobs)
LOST CITY OF Z (James Gray)
THE WEDDING PLAN (Rama Burshtein)
WONDER WOMAN (Patty Jenkins)
Lots more after the jump...
CINEMATOGRAPHY
BABY DRIVER (Bill Pope)
THE BEGUILED (Philippe le Sourd)
THE HERO (Rob Givens)
THE LOST CITY OF Z (Darius Khondji)
TOM OF FINLAND* (Lasse Frank Johannesen)
COSTUME DESIGN
THE BEGUILED (Stacey Battat)
BLAME* (Celeste Montalvo)
MY COUSIN RACHEL (Dinah Collin)
TOM OF FINLAND* (Anna Vilppunen)
WONDER WOMAN (Lindy Hemming)
PRODUCTION DESIGN
ALIEN COVENANT (Chris Seagers)
THE BEGUILED (Anne Ross)
LOST CITY OF Z (Jean-Vincent Puzos)
MY COUSIN RACHEL (Alice Normington)
WONDER WOMAN (Aline Bonetto)
VISUAL EFFECTS
ALIEN COVENANT
BABY DRIVER
GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 2
WONDER WOMAN
MAKEUP AND HAIR
THE BEGUILED
GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL 2
THE LOST CITY OF Z
MY COUSIN RACHEL
WONDER WOMAN
SOUND
BABY DRIVER
THE BEGUILED
GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL 2
THE WALL
EDITING
ALIEN COVENANT (Pietro Scalia)
BABY DRIVER (Jonathan Amos & Paul Machliss)
GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL 2 (Fred Raskin & Craig Wood)
THE LOVERS (Darrin Navarro)
SWEET VIRGINIA* (Duff Smith)
ORIGINAL SCORE
LOST CITY OF Z (Christopher Spellman)
THE LOVERS (Mandy Hoffman)
SATURDAY CHURCH* (Nathan Larson)
WONDER WOMAN (Rupert Gregson-Williams)
Do you have any favorite visuals or film music from the past three months? Do you think any of your favorites from the year's first half will make your top ten at year's end?