‘Three Billboards’ also has a phenomenally on-point score by Carter Burwell- which is so good it is stunning- and, yes, the score was nominated… and well deserved.Īt this point I have seen 7 of the 9 Best Picture nominees. This, naturally, gets the town in an uproar and causes a war between Mildred and the entire police department- mostly personified by Sam Rockwell’s character as he attacks anyone who is a friend of Mildred, including the billboard company owner, who sold the ads to Mildred- and that wonderful performance is by Caleb Landry Jones- who could also have been nominated, as could have Clarke Peters, who plays another police chief- though his part is smaller.īut watching this film- and thinking about it later- I marveled at how well it comes together- both thematically, visually and via the incredible cast’s performances. She buys ads on the three billboards of the title that ask why the police chief hasn’t made any arrests. Since she doesn’t know who the murderer is, she attacks Ebbing’s Police Chief- played by Woody Harrelson. She wants revenge- but partly because she feels guilty over the last conversation she had with her. McDormand isn’t just wrestling with the fact her daughter’s murder is unsolved.
And some surprising friendships develop- or, at least, alliances. There are surprising acts of kindness that are touching- and even darkly humorous. So director Martin McDonagh has to get some credit for that- yet he wasn’t nominated for Best Director… to which I say, “Huh?” At least he did receive one for Best Original Screenplay.Ībout that story- which could be subtitled, ‘When Bad Things Happen to Good People, Good People Do Bad Things.’īut… then it changes- and gets more complicated. Image: Īctually, every performance in this film is just terrific.
And Woody Harrelson may have delivered his finest job of acting ever here, too. What’s remarkable, though, is Sam Rockwell- as a racist police officer- also gives one of the finest performances I’ve ever seen. McDormand plays Mildred, a woman whose daughter was raped and murdered, and her performance is one of the finest I’ve ever seen. And it won Best Picture at the Golden Globes. This week I review ‘Three Billboards Outside of Ebbing, Missouri.’ It’s an incredibly well made film- which isn’t to say it’s always easy to watch.Īmong its 7 award nominations are Best Picture, Best Actress- for lead Frances McDormand- and 2 for Best Supporting Actor: for both Woody Harrelson and Sam Rockwell. I reviewed that last week and gave it 4 stars out of 5. When the Academy Awards nominations came out last week, ‘The Shape of Water’ collected the most nominations, with 13. This is Ed Katz of Katnip Marketing- marketing consultant by day theater and film critic by night- bringing my weekly review segment, Katz Reviews, here for you on WICC 600.