Best Picture 2018 – MY Nominees

In honor of Oscar weekend, a few days ago I posted a piece about the nine films nominated for Best Picture 2018.  I’ve seen them all this year (woo!) and offered my thoughts on each film, leading to my prediction of the winner as well as my favorite film and the one I want to win Best Picture.  Today I’m looking back at the movies I personally saw at the theatres last year – presented in the order I saw them (with multiple viewing dates when appropriate) – and offering up my Best Picture nominees.  If I was in charge of the Academy Awards, who would get the Best Picture trophy?  And how does my list match up to Oscar’s?  Well, let’s take a look and find out!

Logan: A Fitting End

By Nancy of Graphic Novelty²   (This article contains some spoilers.)

Already a fan of Wolverine, when I heard the movie Logan would be inspired in part by the outstanding graphic novel Old Man Logan I had to give it a go. The movie exceeded my expectations in every way!

Reflections of Life: Logan

By Rob Wantz of My Side Of The Laundry Room  (Spoilers to Follow)

“The Wolverine (Gulogulo), a solitary animal, has a reputation for ferocity and strength out of proportion to its size, with the documented ability to kill prey many times larger than itself.”

I don’t think a truer definition could be given to the character Logan, who goes by the alias of Wolverine.

Logan – Elegy to an Era

After three viewings and two weeks, I’m finally ready to talk about Logan.  I had high expectations.  I tried to manage them but it was impossible!  Hugh Jackman has been playing Wolverine for seventeen years.  He ushered in the modern era of cinematic superheroes.  I couldn’t keep my expectations for his swansong from growing.  The film was absolutely nothing like I expected but it was brilliantly executed.  Hugh Jackman and James Mangold delivered a finale that deeply moved me.  Fair warning, this post will be filled with spoilers.  It will also be filled with emotions!

Logan: Ignoble Beginning to a Noble End

By Dave J. Suscheck     (Spoilers to follow)

The end of a story arc is always a tricky endeavor. Watching a once vital character struggle and decline into a gray-bearded, limping, and scarred shell wasn’t easy, but necessary. Hugh Jackman defined the character of Wolverine over eight movies that spanned seventeen years. That’s a lot of time to leave a mark, and the fact that it took that long to create a movie worthy of the Wolverine is a travesty and makes me wish there were more coming. That finality adds an extra weight to the movie.

My Life in Costumes and Cosplay

When David and I saw Logan last weekend I did something I’ve never done – I dressed up for the premiere.  For years David has asked me to embrace mutton chops for the opening night of an X-Men movie but I never did either because I wasn’t feeling it or I didn’t remember soon enough to grow them in all their glory.  However, to honor Hugh Jackman’s final performance, as well as the seventeen years he spent playing Wolverine, I did it.  I went full on Wolverine!  There were no claws of course; I didn’t need to make things awkward for the theatre staff as they understandably ask for no toy weapons at these things.  But I did my best to capture the rest of his look.  And it was a lot of fun!

First Impressions: The X-Men

Of course I saw Logan over the weekend.  But I don’t want to write about it.  I can’t yet.  I need time to sit with the film, to let it move through my heart and mind until I reach the place where I feel I can write about it in a way that honors the experience.  However, I still have Wolverine and the X-Men on my mind.  So I’ve decided to take a little trip down Memory Lane and revisit the very first X-Men comic I ever read.  Ahh…the early 1990’s.  What a great time to meet Wolverine, Cyclops, and everyone else!

Hugh Jackman and the Modern Cinematic Superhero

It was the summer of 2000.  I was just eighteen years old and on a two week trip with my high school Youth Group.  We piled into the church van and drove across country to Yellowstone, hiking every day and camping every night.  I saw some majestic sights.  I bought a literal sword (a rapier) in the “bargain cave” at a Cabella’s.  It was awesome!  As this adventure was unfolding, Bryan Singer’s X-Men was opening at movie theatres across the country.  With it, Hugh Jackman would usher in the age of the modern cinematic superhero with his iconic turn as Wolverine (it killed me that I couldn’t see it opening night, regardless of an awesome trip).  With Logan coming out this weekend I felt I had to offer my humble tribute to Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine. 

Old Man Logan, Death Of Wolverine, and Hugh Jackman’s Finale

We’re less than a month away (aaaahhh!) from Logan and Hugh Jackman’s (presumed) final performance as Wolverine.  On 3 March he’ll pop his claws for the final time – and I am not ready for it!  Of course, I don’t know what will happen but I’m pretty sure I’ll be an emotional mess.  I cry every time I see the first trailer!!  As I’ve begun trying to prepare myself for this emotional journey, I’ve started to wonder what I want from the film.  This reflection has taken me back to Old Man Logan (a comic openly said to inspire the film) and Death Of Wolverine (a comic I feel may inspire the film).  To put it simply, Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine is important.  He ushered in the modern age of superhero movies!  As such, the character’s swansong needs to do him justice. 

SNIKT!!! – Needing Wolverine Even More Than We Love Him

Wolverine has always been my favorite X-Man.  When I was a kid, it was the costume and the claws.  He was just so cool.  As I grew up, I became fascinated with the depth of Wolverine – not the flashy, badass superhero, but the tragic, near-immortal man struggling to find balance in his life.  I think it’s easy to see why he’s been such a fan and cultural favorite since first appearing in The Incredible Hulk #180-181 in Oct/Nov 1974.  At his core, Logan represents the very human struggle of being caught between who we are and who we want to be.  That resonates with all of us.  Who wouldn’t identify with that?