Beauty vs Beast: Guess Who's Coming
Monday, December 11, 2017 at 3:00PM Jason from MNPP here wishing everybody a Happy Golden Globe Nomination Day - I hope everybody's favorite thing got a nomination (and since everybody's favorite thing is clearly Helen Mirren I know it's true). We're taking our "Beauty vs Beast" series to a film that did well but maybe not as well as expected (no director, no screenplay) - Jordan Peele's masterful horror comedy Get Out, which we just happened to re-watch last night in an effort to reaquaint ourselves with a movie that was fading from memory.
And I'm glad I did because some of the issues I'd had the first time (I'd found its metaphor a little scattered) came more into focus, and I was reminded of its many strengths - Peele juggles all sorts of genre and tonal trickery with ease, and I love every single performance in the film (yes even whatever Caleb Landry Jones is doing). So much so that choosing the right opponent today for Daniel Kaluuya's justly nominated work in the lead gave me pause - arguments could be made to face him against Catherine Keener or Betty Gabriel here. But ultimately I laugh harder at Allison Williams eating Fruit Loops and listening to the Dirty Dancing soundtrack than I do at any other joke, and so...
PREVIOUSLY Rooster done got himself trampled against Mattie in our True Grit poll last week - Hailee Steinfeld took over 3/4s of your vote. Said cal roth:
"Steinfeld is B R I L L I A N T in this. "The soul already fled the body" or something like that. She reminded me a young Jodie Foster in the way she is fierce above all things, without even realizing she isn't that strong. That category fraud still stings."
Reader Comments (17)
This will be a landslide. I watched "Get Out" again and it's even better on second viewing. As for Caleb Landry Jones, he's either terrible in this film or he was giving a great performance. He's so distinct in all three of his best picture contenders. He's having an awesome year.
You can't vote for Rose without outing yourself as a terrible person on multiple fronts.
Though Rose is a wonderful villain, no way could you vote for her. Team Chris all the way!
i still LOL at Rose, sitting on the bed eating dry cereal, listening to Dirty Dancing on her earphones, oblivious to what's coming.
C.L.J. is like Fiona Shaw in The Black Dahlia: lord knows what wavelength he's on, but the gonzo commitment is something to see. His death was quite satisfying, too.
One of the reasons I hesitated to give this contest to Rose is I knew it'd be a landslide - Catherine Keener might've done better because people don't dislike CK the way they tend to dislike AW (anybody from Girls gets shit like that) , and Betty Gabriel maybe would've done even better yet because she's ASTONISHING in the film. But none of them felt honest - it had to be Rose. But by all means TROUNCE HER. :)
I expected Team Chris to win so I threw my vote to Rose. Get Out is fantastic, am so happy it’s getting awards attention, but I think Williams is somewhat lost in the critical hosannas for the film. She has to walk a real tight rope and she does so with ease. A second viewing really drove home how nuanced the performance is - it’s why the key scene works so damn well.
I mean, Chris. Obviously. But shutout to Rose for her instantly meme-able "I can't give you the keys babe." Instantly iconic piece of pop culture. That people in my audience cheered when Rose finally got shot shows what fantastic job Williams did.
While I think Daniel Kaluuya is really great in this I still voted for Rose because I don’t think there will ever be a better use for the most hated actress on Girls. Her inherent WASPines and her sometimes dead behind the eyes look worked wonders. And that “You know I can’t give you the keys” moment is still great.
When I re-watched the film last night I spent a lot of time watch Williams' face in key scenes (not "the keys scene" but key scenes, that is) and she really does project a TON when she's not the focus of the shot; when Chris isn't looking at her and she's allowed to relax the character she's playing for him you can see the awful person underneath poking through. (It's especially noticeable in the scene where she's trotting him around to meet all the people at her parents party and she's irritable at their unrestrained obviousness.) But you only catch these glimpses on a second viewing, I think. Anyway I agree that she is terrific.
I voted for Chris. How often is a male the lead in a horror movie? And one that we would want to root for?
I don't know how fucked up someone has to be to vote for Rose. This poll shouldn't even exist... :S
All I have to say is that Allison Williams will NEVER EVER be as perfectly cast for anything ever than she was in this movie. And she was fantastic.
C'mon, the Academy needs to nominate Alison Williams in supporting, please and seriously. Betty and Catherine were great but they just didn't have as much to do as Alison. Betty had limited screen time and Catherine didn't have much of an arc (although if there was an Oscar for Best Scene, the hypnosis scene would win hands down for me).
Hopefully SAG comes through on an Alison nom.
Allison Williams gave the better performance (though Kaluuya definitely held his own), but voting for "Rose" is basically admitting that you are a Trump voter. Which, insert Betty Gabriel gif.
I voted for Kaluuya (of course), though I do ADORE Williams in this.
By the way, I am baffled that many people on here see her as Supporting?
The story is about a couple in peril together, who then (spoiler) become hero and antagonist. How on earth does anyone see her as Supporting?
Anyway, I rank her above both Keener and Gabriel, probably tied with Howery...
Bring back Distant Relatives