The sun is out and 13th Avenue’s bike racks have been cordoned off to make room for vendors. The air will soon smell of Hawaiian food and elephant ears, and 13th Avenue will be bustling. The second ASUO Street Faire of the year starts in a few days. Emerald writers are here to tell you about their yearly traditions, favorite foods and helpful tips for the last faire of the school year.

Getting sunburned at the Quad

Getting sunburned is never fun, especially if you have pale Irish skin like I do. Luckily, the not-so-forgiving Northwest rain means that sunscreen is a necessity only a few months out of the year. However, people face a harsh learning curve when it comes to remembering to apply sunscreen around this time of year.

After not needing to think about sunscreen for eight months straight, it’s easy to forget when first venturing outside the house. It’s not a coincidence that my first sunburn of the season comes right as the UO’s biannual ASUO Street Faire comes around. After scarfing down an elephant year in record time, I like to take my bloated body to the grass quad to spread out and relax. And every year I end up peacefully falling asleep in the sun, only to wake up in agonizing pain. When will I learn? Who knows. All I can do is ease the pain with aloe vera and remember to lather my sunscreen. That is, until next year’s street faire.

-Zach Price

Buying succulents

I’m a freshman, so I don’t really think I can say that I have a Street Faire “tradition”. However, I can say that the last time that I went to the Street Faire I almost bought a succulent. I don’t really even like succulents, but I felt compelled as a millennial to do so — they’re cool, right? But succulents aren’t aesthetically pleasing to me. I do like plants, though. Early in high school, I was known as “that kid in the greenhouse” because I would spend the transitory time in between classes in the greenhouse.

Many students have seen me whispering to my sunflowers. They were mammoth Russians, if I were to be specific, and they were much more preferable to succulents. Maybe I’ll purchase some other kind of plant during the faire. Maybe I’ll try out a succulent to see if they’re as bad as I think they are. Who even knows at this point? At least I’ll have the next four years to decide.

-Ryan Nguyen

Making fingers fancy

Every year, both in fall and spring, my hands get quite the makeover. The Street Faire is full of vendors selling sweet and delicious treats, but there is one booth that I’ve been loyal to since my first term of college: the rings. It’s obvious that this booth is a big hit because I always have to push and elbow my way to the front row of admirers. The rings are stacked by size, with the majority of the inventory dainty and silver.

When I first arrived at UO, I had a small inkling that I wanted to make wearing rings part of my permanent getup, but I didn’t know where to find the ones I liked — let alone ones that didn’t break the bank.

Enter the Street Faire — the ring vendors are helpful and don’t push customers to purchase. I return to their booth every year, and I stock up on rings like you wouldn’t believe. I have backups upon backups, and I am not exaggerating when I say they are great quality. Sure, they bend a bit if you play with them too often, but they have never once turned my fingers green. Take the time to give each tray a diligent look, because the faire will be over before you know it — and your fingers deserve to feel fancy.

-Sarah Urban

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Comic book fans will love “Avengers: Infinity War.” That’s worth mentioning immediately, because the film is essentially a six-issue story distilled down to 156 minutes. There are huge set pieces, funny moments and character interactions that will make audiences giddy. It’s a lot to juggle at once, and dizzying for a Marvel agnostic. At least eight of the previous Marvel movies are essential studying material.

If you’re a longtime fan, this magnum opus of a blockbuster — directed by the Russo Brothers — will have plenty to offer. On its own, though, the movie makes very little sense.

Maybe that’s unfair. “Infinity War,” which throws the Avengers and Guardians of the Galaxy together to fight a war in deep space, was never meant to be watched in a vacuum. It’s not really a movie at all; more of a very long, very expensive attempt at satisfying every wallet-owning moviegoer on the planet. Past entries in the universe have been entertaining on their own. Logic suggests that throwing them all together should obliterate the fun quotient, right?

Sort of. The stakes are certainly high. Thanos (Josh Brolin) finally steps out of his mid-credit purgatory to collect six Infinity Stones, which will allow him to eliminate half of all living things in the universe with a snap of his fingers. The opening scene sets the stage with a pair of important character deaths: this guy is not messing around. “No resurrections this time,” he says with a smirk, and for once, a Marvel villain sounds genuinely threatening.

“Infinity War” splits its time between Earth and space, and the action is appropriately otherworldly. The climax of “Captain America: Civil War” sent a dozen superheroes to fight out their differences in open combat. In contrast, Thanos casually disintegrates a planet’s crust by clenching his fist. Disney can rest assured that their budget — which estimates place around $400 million — was put to adequate use, even if the muted color palette saps some visual grandeur out of the universe.

The last MCU film was “Black Panther,” a rousing flick that infused a normally tired structure (the superhero origin story) with relevance and originality. “Infinity War” borrows that film’s setting and hero, T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman), for a climactic battle sequence. But it leaves behind its pathos and visual beauty, and therein lies the problem. “Infinity War” swallows the stars and settings of the MCU and positions them (with great care) as minor players in an opera-sized conflict. In the process, it strips them of what made them interesting. Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) and Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) get maybe six lines.

Pacing is a consistent problem as well. Very little occurs in the movie’s first hour that feels consequential. Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) meets Dr. Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) and the Guardians run into Thor (Chris Hemsworth), but these encounters only serve to rearrange these characters into their appropriate spaces for upcoming plot points. Screenwriters Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely offer enough sharp dialogue to keep things moving but can’t save the first half from abundant exposition. It’s hard to escape the feeling that we’ve seen this before.

Such is the feeling that has plagued the MCU since the original “Avengers.” “Infinity War” just barely manages to escape it, and only in the final minutes. The ending — which rocks the boat enough to warrant an untitled part 2 next May — is a genuine shock. It’s a shame that it wears off fast, given a look at the slate of Marvel movies already planned for the next few years.

For a brief moment, “Infinity War” challenges convention and takes some big swings. But in the context of Disney’s plans for the Marvel brand, those swings seem amazingly hollow. Big changes are really just disguised resets for the formula. That’s not to say the movie won’t satisfy fans deep into their fandom. Plenty of people will have fun; the fun is just empty.

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Shaluinn Fullove has been running competitively since she was five years old. After growing up in Los Angeles, she became an athlete at Stanford University, where she ran three cross country races during the 1996 NCAA Championships before graduating with an American studies degree in 2000 and landing a job at Google in 2002.

Today, Fullove still works in human resources for Google in Palo Alto, California, where she lives with her husband and daughter.

The past few years have tested Fullove’s commitment and perseverance. In 2017, she underwent a double mastectomy, followed by a breast reconstruction surgery. Between the two procedures, her dad and aunt both passed away.

“Running is always the common thread — it is always the thing you can come back to. It’s an anchor…” said Fullove.

The pain from that season of life was sharp, but it didn’t extinguish her drive. Fullove is planning to run the Eugene Marathon on April 29. She has embraced the difference that her new shape and circumstances bring, and she admits that her training cycle this time around has been different.

“I gotta rebuild,” Fullove said.

Instead of expecting to be a hero every day of training, Fullove said she operates from the perspective that it is a triumph every day just to show up. She decided that at the very least, she is going to start each workout and see what happens.

“I have learned how to give myself a little grace this round,” she said.

According to Fullove, her coach, Michael McKeeman, knows the perfect balance between challenging her during workouts and recognizing that running isn’t her full-time job. Mckeeman grew up a runner himself, and won the Philadelphia Marathon in 2012.

“He is a big reason why I still run,” she said. “You have to have elasticity for coaching the whole person, not just the athlete portion of their day.”.

Running has been a common thread throughout each phase of Fullove’s life. Many of her longest, closest friendships are with old coaches and teammates.

“There is something about when you run together — when you sweat and you persevere and you push through new barriers with one another,” she said. “There is just a bond that gets created, and a mutual respect, and a desire to support one another.”

With a daughter in the first grade and day-to-day work responsibilities, training for the Eugene Marathon has been scattered for Fullove.

“I wish it was a little more templated. But it’s been more like jenga or tetris,” said Fullove.

Whether early in the morning, with fellow Google employees during lunch or after work, she always makes time. The schedule isn’t always optimal, said Fullove, but “done is better than perfect.”

On April 29, Fullove’s goal is to run smart and execute a race that reflects the work she has put in. In 2008, she qualified for the Olympic Trials as a way to prove to herself that she had beat thyroid cancer. Though she has the potential to qualify again, her focus has shifted this year. Fullove said this race is a celebration of her ability to rebuild and condition her body to withstand the rigorous workouts that are required when training for a marathon.

“To define success for the Eugene Marathon so narrowly to the Olympic Qualifier, I think that would be a missed opportunity,” she said.

The Eugene Marathon will take place on Sunday, April 29. Runners can participate in the marathon, half-marathon or 5k — there will be a 1k available for kids. Races begin as early as 7 a.m. and will finish near Hayward Field.

 

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The biggest success of John Krasinski’s “A Quiet Place” comes from its willingness to live up to its title. The film, which tracks the Abbott family living on a farm in a post-apocalyptic landscape, opens with silence. A series of opening shots display the remnants of a small town. Empty shopping carts and run down cars litter the streets. In an abandoned pharmacy, Evelyn (Emily Blunt) and her three children search for medicine.

One of the kids spies a rocket toy, which his father Lee (John Krasinski) treats like a bomb. “Too loud,” he warns him, gently removing the batteries. The family heads home along a trail of sand that deafens their every step. They are being hunted, and thanks to a swiftly executed sequence that establishes these stakes, we share their terror. There are monsters everywhere, blind and armored, and they hunt sound. In a bloody flash, we’re shown their ruthlessness: the boy keeps the toy, turns it on, Lee dashes to try and save him and it’s over. The Abbotts are now minus one.

In the hands of a subpar director, “A Quiet Place” is ripe for disaster. The film is a high-concept creature feature mixed with a family drama, a mix of genres that requires a deft hand to keep grounded. What a surprise that this hand belongs to Krasinski, an actor-turned-filmmaker who spent the majority of his career playing comedic everymen. The paradox of an actor best known for “The Office” directing, co-writing and starring in a horror film is hard to ignore, especially considering his only other full-length feature was an indie drama.

Krasinski, thankfully, showcases clear talent on all fronts. As director, he has an eye for tension, and showcases it in and a number of sequences that take advantage of the rural setting in clever ways. One scene, designed around a towering grain silo, plays on claustrophobic anxiety using only a creaking metal door. Other sequences employ the film’s terrific sound design — an essential element of the film’s conceit — to terrifying effect, despite being too reliant on jump scares.

Krasinski also captures fine performances from his actors. Blunt (Krasinski’s real-life spouse) is solid as co-lead, even if her character is somewhat unremarkable. The contrast between a caring mother and a gruff-but-loving father is established early, but fails to evolve into anything unexpected. Krasinski imbues Lee with a wide-eyed, humanizing desperation. But Millie Simmonds, as the Abbott’s deaf daughter Reagan, is the clear MVP. She has begun rebelling against her parents protectiveness, and Simmonds is forced to balance that angst with outright gumption. “She’s smart,” Evelyn tells Lee. “She’ll know what to do.” We believe her.

“A Quiet Place” is not perfect. Krasinski’s inexperience shows, usually when he spoon-feeds information to the audience. The most blatant example is the Abbott’s bunker, covered in old newspapers with headlines like “Stay Silent, Stay Alive” and “What is the weakness??” In the first ten minutes, those visual clues make a difference. By the final act, they’re eyeroll-inducing. The final act is more crippling; Krasinski falls into the “more is better” trap, bombarding his audience with jump scares at a rate that makes each scare less impactful than the last. At the start of the film, the monsters are horrifying. By the end, they’re haunted house attractions.

Still, “A Quiet Place” is thoroughly original, and good enough to stand out among the contrived horror movies usually released in spring. Krasinski has crafted a tense look at family dynamics in a post-apocalyptic setting and made it a lot of fun to watch. Not bad for his third directing gig. And when you consider that the film is first foray into the genre, the film becomes as impressive as it is enjoyable.

‘A Quiet Place’ is in theaters everywhere.

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“A Quiet Place” looks like the creation of an experienced horror director. The film tracks a family in a post-apocalyptic New York, ravaged by an unexplained event. Monsters hunt human survivors through sound, turning any remaining human civilizations into widespread cat-and-mouse games. Silence is the only lasting defense for Lee Abbott (John Krasinski), his wife Evelyn (Emily Blunt) and their two children (Millie Simmonds and Noah Jupe). They speak through sign language and hushed whispers, sacrificing their voices to protect their children.

It’s a premise that lives and dies on the strength of its director, which makes Krasinski’s position at the helm particularly surprising. The actor-turned-filmmaker has been behind the camera before — his indie dramedy “The Hollars” received mixed reviews back in 2016 — but never in the horror genre. Yet, Krasinski wrote, directed and starred in “A Quiet Place,” tackling a notoriously difficult genre seemingly on his own.

That’s a recipe ripe for skepticism; Jim from NBC’s hit comedy “The Office” terrifying entire theaters is a head-scratching image. But “A Quiet Place” opened to rave reviews at this year’s South by Southwest film festival, and early predictions point toward box office success when the film enters wide release on Friday, April 6. When Krasinski spoke to a series of collegiate newspapers over a shared Google Hangout last week, it was easy to glean his relief when he talked about the premiere.

“That was one of the best moments of my whole life,” Krasinski said.

Maybe so. But the path to get there was almost as nerve-wracking as the film itself. Until his recent turn as an ex-Navy Seal in Michael Bay’s “13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi,” he rarely stepped outside affable roles in comedies. This makes “A Quiet Place” more than a departure: it’s a career risk.

“I’m a scaredy cat. I don’t even watch horror movies,” Krasinski told the Emerald. “If you told me that I was going to direct this a year ago I’d say, ‘What are you talking about?’”

That changed when Krasinski was shown the initial script — written by thriller veterans Bryan Woods and Scott Beck — three weeks after the birth of his second daughter. He instantly connected with the story.

“I was already in the state of terror, [wondering] whether I was going to be a good enough father,” he said. “In comes this script about a family that relies on each other — about parents that would do absolutely anything for their kids. I was wide open for this one.”

Krasinski’s rewrite refocused the story onto the family. The result is an unnerving mixture of themes. Even in the film’s trailer, the tension comes from pairing parental anxieties with survival horror. It helps that dialogue is scarce — the script is 50 pages short of the industry standard — and that Krasinski cast Blunt as his co-lead. Their real-world relationship helped keep their characters grounded, even if working together made them both nervous.

“I didn’t want [Emily] to do anything that she didn’t want to do,” Krasinski said. “So when she actually signed onto the movie, it truly [was] the greatest compliment of my career. I’ve seen what it takes to get her to say yes to things.”

Directing his wife was only one of many challenges while filming. Learning American Sign Language was another. Millie Simmonds, a 14-year-old deaf actress who portrays one of the two children in the film, helped teach American Sign Language to the rest of the cast. Meanwhile, Krasinski had to balance the film’s reliance on silence with a rousing score from composer Marco Beltrami. There were monster designs from special effects artists, a tight schedule and a moderate budget ($17 million) stretched to its limit.

In short, Krasinski’s hands were full long before he called “action.” To handle it all, Krasinski turned to advice his father gave him when he was a child:

“One of the most confident things you can say as a human being is ‘I don’t know,’” Krasinski said. “I was willing to say that a lot. And it helped. I have always found that the best moments of my life are when I do actually jump. Even though the fall can be scary, when the end result is good it’s the best moments that you’ll ever have in your life, and it will define you.”

“A Quiet Place” opens everywhere Friday, April 6.

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The 90th Academy Awards took place last night at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood this Sunday, capping off a largely predictable awards season in semi-surprising fashion.

Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway earned redemption from last year’s “Envelopegate” when they correctly presented the Best Picture award to “The Shape of Water.” The film also won three other awards, a major win considering its inclusive message of acceptance and the diversity of the cast and crew. “Dunkirk” was the night’s second-biggest winner, with three technical awards for Best Film Editing, Sound Editing and Mixing.

The Oscars took place in the midst of a Hollywood under scrutiny, marked in the past year by numerous allegations of sexual misconduct or assault by some of the industry’s biggest names. Jimmy Kimmel returned as host, and directly addressed the #MeToo and Time’s Up movements in his opening monologue.“The world is watching us,” he said. “We need to set an example.”

But once the awards began in earnest, Kimmel’s material was relatively apolitical. The biggest laugh of the night came from a large-scale prank. Kimmel led a gang of movie stars to a theater, thanking an unsuspecting audience simply for “going to the movies.”

The perfect man doesn’t exist. pic.twitter.com/Qz6w5hzDAZ

— Frank Pallotta (@frankpallotta) March 5, 2018

Much of the political heavy lifting went to the presenters, including Lupita Nyong’o and Kumail Nanjiani — also nominated for Best Original Screenplay with his wife Emily V. Gordon. Nanjiani and Nyong’o delivered a speech in support of Dreamers in the United States.

“Like everyone in this room…we are dreamers. We grew up dreaming of one day working in the movies,” Nyong’o said. “Dreams are the foundation of Hollywood and dreamers are the foundation of America.”

“Some of my favorite movies are movies by straight white dudes about straight white dudes,” Nanjiani said in a video segment about the importance of diversity in film. “Now straight white dudes can watch movies starring me and you relate to that. It’s not that hard. I’ve done it my whole life.”

First-time director/screenwriter Jordan Peele won Best Original Screenplay for “Get Out.” The first African-American winner in the category, Peele thanked his mother for “teaching [him] how to love in the face of hate.”

UO alum James Ivory won Best Adapted Screenplay for “Call Me By Your Name.” Ivory recently visited campus for a Q&A and screening of the film, and had been previously nominated three times for Best Director. Tonight’s win was his first. Roger Deakins — one of the most acclaimed cinematographers in the industry — also won his first Oscar for “Blade Runner 2049.” Tonight marked Deakins’ 14th nomination.

Click here for the Emerald’s best films of the year.

Traditionally, the previous year’s Best Actress/Actor winners present the Oscar to the next year’s winners, but this was repealed (perhaps in light of last year’s winner Casey Affleck’s harassment allegations). Jennifer Lawrence and Jodie Foster presented the award for Best Actress to Frances McDormand, Helen Mirren and Jane Fonda presented Best Actor to Gary Oldman, and last year’s winner Emma Stone presented Best Director to Guillermo Del Toro.

“I am an immigrant,” the Mexican-born Del Toro said in his acceptance speech. “The greatest thing our industry does is erase the lines in the sand when the world tries to make them deeper. We should continue doing that.”

The most surreal moment of the night occurred when Oscar Isaac handed Kobe Bryant an Academy Award for Best Animated Short. “As basketball players we’re just supposed to shut up and dribble,” Bryant said, referring to a controversial Fox News segment from weeks prior. “But I’m glad we did a little bit more than that.” Bryant’s win comes despite a highly-covered accusation of sexual misconduct that plagued his early career.

Not every film walked away successful. “Lady Bird” — Greta Gerwig’s acclaimed coming-of-age story set in Sacramento — was shut out despite its five nominations. Gerwig was only the fifth woman in Oscars history to be nominated for Best Director. “Baby Driver” lost its three technical nominations to “Dunkirk.” “Phantom Thread” had six noms and wide critical support, but nabbed only one award for Best Costume Design.

Despite a night of many firsts, the major awards remained largely predictable. This was especially true in the acting categories, with Allison Janney of “I, Tonya,” Gary Oldman of “Darkest Hour,” and Frances McDormand and Sam Rockwell winning yet again for “Three Billboards.” All three had swept previous award shows this year.

McDormand, who won in 1997 for “Fargo,” told every nominated woman in the audience to stand up. “Look around ladies and gentlemen,” she said. “Because we all have stories to tell and finance.”

A complete list of nominees, with winners in bold, is below:

Best Picture:

“Call Me by Your Name”

“Darkest Hour”

“Dunkirk”

“Get Out”

“Lady Bird”

“Phantom Thread”

“The Post”

“The Shape of Water”

“Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”

Lead Actress:

Sally Hawkins, “The Shape of Water”

Frances McDormand, “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”

Margot Robbie, “I, Tonya”

Saoirse Ronan, “Lady Bird”

Meryl Streep, “The Post”

Lead Actor:

Timothée Chalamet, “Call Me by Your Name”

Daniel Day-Lewis, “Phantom Thread”

Daniel Kaluuya, “Get Out”

Gary Oldman, “Darkest Hour”

Denzel Washington, “Roman J. Israel, Esq.”

Supporting Actress:

Mary J. Blige, “Mudbound”

Allison Janney, “I, Tonya”

Lesley Manville, “Phantom Thread”

Laurie Metcalf, “Lady Bird”

Octavia Spencer, “The Shape of Water”

Supporting Actor:

Willem Dafoe, “The Florida Project”

Woody Harrelson, “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”

Richard Jenkins, “The Shape of Water”

Christopher Plummer, “All the Money in the World”

Sam Rockwell, “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”

Director:

“Dunkirk,” Christopher Nolan

“Get Out,” Jordan Peele

“Lady Bird,” Greta Gerwig

“Phantom Thread,” Paul Thomas Anderson

“The Shape of Water,” Guillermo del Toro

Animated Feature:

“The Boss Baby,” Tom McGrath, Ramsey Ann Naito

“The Breadwinner,” Nora Twomey, Anthony Leo

“Coco,” Lee Unkrich, Darla K. Anderson

“Ferdinand,” Carlos Saldanha

“Loving Vincent,” Dorota Kobiela, Hugh Welchman, Sean Bobbitt, Ivan Mactaggart, Hugh Welchman

Animated Short:

“Dear Basketball,” Glen Keane, Kobe Bryant

“Garden Party,” Victor Caire, Gabriel Grapperon

“Lou,” Dave Mullins, Dana Murray

“Negative Space,” Max Porter, Ru Kuwahata

“Revolting Rhymes,” Jakob Schuh, Jan Lachauer

Adapted Screenplay:

“Call Me by Your Name,” James Ivory

“The Disaster Artist,” Scott Neustadter & Michael H. Weber

“Logan,” Scott Frank & James Mangold and Michael Green

“Molly’s Game,” Aaron Sorkin

“Mudbound,” Virgil Williams and Dee Rees

Original Screenplay:

“The Big Sick,” Emily V. Gordon & Kumail Nanjiani

“Get Out,” Jordan Peele

“Lady Bird,” Greta Gerwig

“The Shape of Water,” Guillermo del Toro, Vanessa Taylor

“Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri,” Martin McDonagh

Cinematography:

“Blade Runner 2049,” Roger Deakins

“Darkest Hour,” Bruno Delbonnel

“Dunkirk,” Hoyte van Hoytema

“Mudbound,” Rachel Morrison

“The Shape of Water,” Dan Laustsen

Best Documentary Feature:

“Abacus: Small Enough to Jail,” Steve James, Mark Mitten, Julie Goldman

“Faces Places,” JR, Agnès Varda, Rosalie Varda

“Icarus,” Bryan Fogel, Dan Cogan

“Last Men in Aleppo,” Feras Fayyad, Kareem Abeed, Soren Steen Jepersen

“Strong Island,” Yance Ford, Joslyn Barnes

Best Documentary Short Subject:

“Edith+Eddie,” Laura Checkoway, Thomas Lee Wright

“Heaven is a Traffic Jam on the 405,” Frank Stiefel

“Heroin(e),” Elaine McMillion Sheldon, Kerrin Sheldon

“Knife Skills,” Thomas Lennon

“Traffic Stop,” Kate Davis, David Heilbroner

Best Live Action Short Film:

“DeKalb Elementary,” Reed Van Dyk

“The Eleven O’Clock,” Derin Seale, Josh Lawson

“My Nephew Emmett,” Kevin Wilson, Jr.

“The Silent Child,” Chris Overton, Rachel Shenton

“Watu Wote/All of Us,” Katja Benrath, Tobias Rosen

Best Foreign Language Film:

“A Fantastic Woman” (Chile)

“The Insult” (Lebanon)

“Loveless” (Russia)

“On Body and Soul (Hungary)

“The Square” (Sweden)

Film Editing:

“Baby Driver,” Jonathan Amos, Paul Machliss

“Dunkirk,” Lee Smith

“I, Tonya,” Tatiana S. Riegel

“The Shape of Water,” Sidney Wolinsky

“Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri,” Jon Gregory

Sound Editing:

“Baby Driver,” Julian Slater

“Blade Runner 2049,” Mark Mangini, Theo Green

“Dunkirk,” Alex Gibson, Richard King

“The Shape of Water,” Nathan Robitaille, Nelson Ferreira

“Star Wars: The Last Jedi,” Ren Klyce, Matthew Wood

Sound Mixing:

“Baby Driver,” Mary H. Ellis, Julian Slater, Tim Cavagin

“Blade Runner 2049,” Mac Ruth, Ron Bartlett, Doug Hephill

“Dunkirk,” Mark Weingarten, Gregg Landaker, Gary A. Rizzo

“The Shape of Water,” Glen Gauthier, Christian Cooke, Brad Zoern

“Star Wars: The Last Jedi,” Stuart Wilson, Ren Klyce, David Parker, Michael Semanick

Production Design:

“Beauty and the Beast,” Sarah Greenwood; Katie Spencer

“Blade Runner 2049,” Dennis Gassner, Alessandra Querzola

“Darkest Hour,” Sarah Greenwood, Katie Spencer

“Dunkirk,” Nathan Crowley, Gary Fettis

“The Shape of Water,” Paul D. Austerberry, Jeffrey A. Melvin, Shane Vieau

Original Score:

“Dunkirk,” Hans Zimmer

“Phantom Thread,” Jonny Greenwood

“The Shape of Water,” Alexandre Desplat

“Star Wars: The Last Jedi,” John Williams

“Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri,” Carter Burwell

Original Song:

“Mighty River” from “Mudbound,” Mary J. Blige (performed by Blige)

“Mystery of Love” from “Call Me by Your Name,” Sufjan Stevens (performed by Stevens and St. Vincent)

“Remember Me” from “Coco,” Kristen Anderson-Lopez, Robert Lopez (performed by Gael García Bernal, Miguel, and Natalia Lafourcade)

“Stand Up for Something” from “Marshall,” Diane Warren, Common (performed by Common and Andra Day)

“This Is Me” from “The Greatest Showman,” Benj Pasek, Justin Paul (performed by Keala Settle)

Makeup and Hair:

“Darkest Hour,” Kazuhiro Tsuji, David Malinowski, Lucy Sibbick

“Victoria and Abdul,” Daniel Phillips and Lou Sheppard

“Wonder,” Arjen Tuiten

Costume Design:

“Beauty and the Beast,” Jacqueline Durran

“Darkest Hour,” Jacqueline Durran

“Phantom Thread,” Mark Bridges

“The Shape of Water,” Luis Sequeira

“Victoria and Abdul,” Consolata Boyle

Visual Effects:

“Blade Runner 2049,” John Nelson, Paul Lambert, Richard R. Hoover, Gerd Nefzer

“Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2,” Christopher Townsend, Guy Williams, Jonathan Fawkner, Dan Sudick

“Kong: Skull Island,” Stephen Rosenbaum, Jeff White, Scott Benza, Mike Meinardus

“Star Wars: The Last Jedi,”  Ben Morris, Mike Mulholland, Chris Corbould, Neal Scanlan

“War for the Planet of the Apes,” Joe Letteri, Dan Lemmon, Daniel Barrett, Joel Whist

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The Marvel Cinematic Universe is an undeniable juggernaut in cinema at the moment, which makes the studio’s consistent level of quality shocking. It’s been 10 years, 18 films and $14 billion after “Iron Man” catapulted superhero movies into “guaranteed profit” territory. Disney has yet to see a Marvel film critically disparaged. Even its worst movies avoid the pitfalls of most other studio tent poles.

There are, of course, deep-rooted problems with this formula. For every great film in the universe, there are five or six bland ones — usually helmed by an acclaimed director whose style and talent is warped and muted in post-production.

Superheroes are cool and funny and interesting. More importantly, superheroes make money, and Disney won’t let controversial artistic choices threaten their box office receipts. There are plenty of stories out there about great filmmakers hampered by the studio’s strict or unclear guidelines. The MCU is fun, but that fun comes at a steep cost for the folks behind the camera.

Enter Ryan Coogler, the acclaimed director and Oakland, CA, native best known for reviving the “Rocky” franchise. That film showcased Coogler’s ability to imbue studio-led franchises with refreshing energy. When he signed on to helm “Black Panther,” an origin film for Marvel’s Afrofuturistic superhero, it was easy to get excited. Coogler’s career is young, but his obvious talent is the perfect vehicle for “Panther.” Add the charisma and talent of a dynamite ensemble cast — led by Chadwick Boseman and “Creed” star Michael B. Jordan — and the film has the potential for “landmark” status.

Good news first: “Panther” is (mostly) worth the hype, and will be remembered as one of the most distinct chapters in the Marvel canon. Much of the credit is owed to the script (penned by Coogler and John Robert Cole) that balances MCU mythology and visual grandeur with a emotionally charged storyline. The film takes place almost entirely in Wakanda, a fictional nation in East Africa that presents itself outwardly as a third-world country. Underneath the facade lies a futuristic society driven by an all-powerful rare metal called vibranium. T’Challa (Boseman) is next in line for the Wakandan throne and the Black Panther namesake after the death of his father T’Chaka. Complicating his ascension is the very angry, very buff Killmonger (Jordan) and a series of unpleasant discoveries regarding T’Chaka’s reign.

There is very little new in the film’s structure. But Coogler succeeds at injecting it with a distinctly political edge, a welcome change of pace for a genre most often concerned with avoiding difficult subjects. Race relations and inner-city violence play significant narrative roles, albeit in ways that allow audiences a comforting level of distance.

Black liberation and pride is a central theme, explored with a deft hand. Wakanda is a wonder to behold, and every moment spent there offers moments of amazement. The various tribes each display a unique culture that puts other world-building efforts to shame. Meanwhile, every character feels wholly realized, even when Killmonger quickly emerges as the star of the show. Jordan’s performance is braggadocious, tragic and badass, often at the same time. It all amounts to one of the best Marvel films to date.

But “Panther” is still a Marvel film, and falls prey to many of the same issues that plague the entire MCU. A handful of scenes are noticeably out of rhythm, mired by an overactive editor. The problem is consistent through all two hours, and is most likely the result of the same kind of studio manipulation that you’d expected from Disney.

Several of the film’s biggest moments suffer severely as a result. It’s difficult to get wrapped up in drama and battle when lines sound literally cobbled together from three different recording sessions. The reported meddling did not stop at the sound booth, however, which calls into question just how much the audience is missing. “Black Panther” is a good movie. There is probably another version out there that is great, and you’ll have to buy the Blu-Ray to see it.

These criticisms are, of course, nitpicks. “Black Panther” is endlessly entertaining and meaningful despite a few technical flaws. Thematically, the film is a triumph that explores the beauty of pride and hope. And a film featuring an all-black cast breaking box office records is already a cultural watershed. That alone makes it worth watching, celebrating and then watching again.

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Paul Thomas Anderson deals in intangibles. The San Fernando wunderkind — the greatest filmmaker of his generation — has spent a career removing himself from the conventions of filmmaking. Context is largely absent from his work, at least the kind that can be audibly explained. This can make watching Anderson’s films a difficult exercise, even if repeated viewings usually reveal masterpieces. “There Will Be Blood,” perhaps the best film of the 2000s, transforms from historical epic to horrific character study with little regard for the audience’s sense of balance. “The Master” tackles religion and belief with the clarity of a brick wall. “Inherent Vice” is technically a comedy, assuming you can weave through the film’s labyrinthian plot (most can’t, and that’s the point). Here is a director light years ahead of his contemporaries, unconcerned with whether you can keep up. Luckily “Phantom Thread,” Anderson’s new film and his second collaboration with renowned actor Daniel Day-Lewis, is breathtaking on the first watch. The film follows Reynolds Woodcock (Day-Lewis), a creatively-named couture designer living in post-war London with his sister Cyril (Lesley Manville). Woodcock’s rigid daily routine manages to keep his obsessive personality in check. Cracks are beginning to show, though. Over breakfast, his mistress begs him for affection. Woodcock barely lifts his head from his design sketches. Later that night, Cyril sends her away for good. Then Woodcock meets Alma (Vicky Krieps), a waitress who stumbles her way through his breakfast. A connection is formed. Woodcock brings her to his home, where he begins to design for her. “You have no breasts,” he notices, without scorn. He has found a muse. They fall in love. Alma moves to the Woodcock’s Victorian home and struggles to find a place in his suffocating daily schedule. He wants her to do as she’s told, but Alma suffers no fools. “Perhaps you will change your taste,” Woodcock tells her when he dislikes a dress. “Maybe I like my own taste,” she whispers back. It’s the first of many small rebellions, enough to disrupt Woodcock’s routine. The cracks in that routine drive the drama. Anderson has explored divergent relationships in other films. But none of them are this approachable. “Phantom Thread’s” synopsis reads like a straight costume drama, and for much of its runtime it stays within that frame. Krieps and Day-Lewis showcase a warm chemistry from their first meeting. Their exchanges and occasional lashings are fascinating and occasionally hilarious. Day Lewis has said this will be his last film, and his performance reflects the quiet subtlety of Anderson’s vision. Krieps matches him in both mood and skill. The film is aesthetically gorgeous. Anderson, who operated the camera himself, delivers a soft visual palette that never fails to amaze. The score, by Jonny Greenwood (better known as Radiohead’s lead guitarist), uses strings and a melancholy piano to unsettling effect. What does Woodcock see in Alma? Perhaps a subconscious desire for discomfort. He first takes notice of her as she stumbles into a table, a subtle form of chaos. Even so, as she pushes him to love her outside of his art, the pressure mounts. “There is an air of quiet death in this house,” he confides to Cyril, with Alma listening in. She refuses to be sent away. “Woodcock has made my dreams come true,” she confides to a friend, and to us. “And I have given him what he desires most in return: every piece of me.” On its surface, the relationship is endlessly toxic. Then Anderson, ever the provocateur, flips everything onto its head. The final five minutes reveal depths beyond its genre, plot and characters in a way that only this filmmaker could manage. Spoiling the details would be a crime. Suffice it to say, Woodcock and Alma walk love’s tightrope with grace. Rarely is their kind of devotion pure; like all things worth living for, it’s far more gray than black or white.

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It was a bit of a strange year for Hollywood. Blockbusters continued to dominate the box office and frustrate critics. The industry faced months of moral reckoning via horrific sexual assault allegations. Disney casually dropped $50 billion to buy every superhero you love. Studios gave women their time to shine behind the camera (the work is far from over on that front). And Jordan Peele terrified upper-class white people everywhere.

There was one constant, though: people are still making great movies. The Emerald is on hand to break down the very best of them, from sweeping war epics to coming-of-age indie flicks. These are the best films of the year:

Dana Alston’s picks:

5. “John Wick: Chapter 2” (dir. Chad Stahelski)

Keanu Reeves is an action-movie treasure, but it’s taken years out of the limelight and a franchise built around him for the world to recognize his badassery once again. “Chapter 2” — the sequel to 2014’s violent hit-man odyssey — doubles down on the original’s worldbuilding. Director Chad Stahelski offers glimpses of an assassin-run underworld in between fistfights and shootouts. A battle in a hall of mirrors is an extended treat. But outside of the choreography and visual splendor, “Chapter 2” succeeds by generating empathy for its titular hero, even as he shoots and stabs his way through an army of henchmen.

4. “Blade Runner 2049” (dir. Denis Villeneuve)

From the opening swell of Hans Zimmer’s synthesized score, Denis Villeneuve’s sequel to “Blade Runner” envelops you in a dark, uncompromising world. Replicants, extremely lifelike androids, are still being hunted down by the world’s governments. K (Ryan Gosling) stalks in and out of the streets of a futuristic Los Angeles. Fog and filth and a powerful dread hang over the city. “2049” tells an important story about the origin of life itself and what it even means to be alive. But the film is at its best when it leans on its pure, rich vision. Credit legendary cinematographer Roger Deakins; 35 years into an already storied career, he has shot one of the most gorgeous films in recent memory. The sights and sounds alone are worth the nearly 3-hour runtime.

3. “Lady Bird” (dir. Greta Gerwig)

It’s impossible to watch “Lady Bird” without impossibly high expectations. Greta Gerwig’s directorial debut received a fair amount of online fame for its near-perfect critical reception. It deserves the acclaim. Gerwig’s story is not strictly new — few coming-of-age films can be — but what makes her film such mandatory viewing is its emotional authenticity. As Lady Bird (Saoirse Ronan) grows and quarrels with her mother (Laurie Metcalf), the wordplay, relationships and moving moments all ring wonderfully true. “Lady Bird” is a modest movie with epic themes at its heart. Unconditional love and the pains of both adolescence and motherhood are all fair game. Underneath it all, Gerwig proves herself a capable master behind the camera. “Lady Bird” has no delusions of visual grandeur, and it is all the better for it. This is a complex portrait of a young woman learning how to coexist with the people who fight you — and love you — the most.

2.“Star Wars: The Last Jedi” (dir. Rian Johnson)

Myths are often lies, expectations breed disappointment and guilt may be the most unconquerable enemy in the universe; these are themes you’d expect from a heavy drama and perennial Oscar favorite. Rian Johnson delivers them to us via the new “Star Wars,” and amazingly makes them belong in a world filled with space battles and laser swords. To that end, the action in “The Last Jedi” is some of the most beautifully realized in the franchise, and it’s also the funniest “Star Wars” film by a mile-and-a-half. In between a series of powerful character moments are beats that will leave audiences in awe and in stitches.

Despite the online rumblings of slighted fanboys (the Rotten Tomatoes user score is a crime) it’s likely Johnson’s film will be revered in a few years. This is the most powerful chapter in “Star Wars,” partially because nothing is sacred. Saying more risks spoilers, but rest assured: no other film this year was as purely entertaining or subversive. Luke, at a moment of weakness, says it best: “This is not going to go the way you think.”

1. “Dunkirk” (dir. Christopher Nolan)

Over a career of films that includes “Inception” and the “Dark Knight” trilogy, Christopher Nolan’s ability to infuse blockbusters with artistry has filled a generation of theaters. But “Dunkirk” — Nolan’s sprawling, epic account of one of WWII’s greatest stories — finds the filmmaker finally balancing his mastery of pure moviemaking with the humanity of his characters. Make no mistake: the film is a technical marvel. Cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema worked almost entirely with IMAX cameras, including a reworked version that sat in a cockpit to capture stunning dogfight sequences. The sound design, helped by Hans Zimmer’s’ rousing operatic score, rattles its venue.

“Dunkirk’s” aesthetics amount to a barrage of chaos and terror as thousands of British troops await their fate on the beaches of France. It’s the first time Nolan uses his penchant for orchestrating big budgets to tell a story with depth and grace. His script exists on the surface level of the conflict — we don’t learn much about the people on screen — but captures their almost dreamlike desperation like few stories can. By the end, when the strings crescendo into overwhelming exhaustion and triumph, “Dunkirk” evolves into the most undeniable piece of filmmaking in years.

Frankie Lewis’ pick:

“Logan Lucky” (dir. Steven Soderbergh)

Perhaps not the “best movie” of the year, the argument can be made that “Logan Lucky” was the most valuable film to cinema goers in 2017. The film was released in mid-August at a time cinemas were bare. Other movies running at the time such as “The Dark Tower,”  “Annabelle” and “The Hitman’s Bodyguard” were nothing to write home about. Filmed on a relatively modest $29 million budget, “Logan Lucky” had everything one could hope for in a summer comedy-action flick: high-speed cars, a prison escape, blue-collar yet sophisticated humor and a feel-good conclusion. But ticket buyers were treated to more than they bargained for. Besides the usual summer movie components, the film examined the emotions and day-to-day lives of blue-collar West Virginians like the Logan brothers, and it dove into the complex struggle between divorced parents in Jimmy Logan and Bobby Jo’s relationship.

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Science fiction isn’t for everyone.

Just ask Ridley Scott, whose early work in the genre catapulted his career to acclaim but initially harmed his box office impact. The legendary filmmaker is no stranger to futuristic world-building. In 1982, his third film “Blade Runner” — techno-noir years ahead of its time — established a “broken-down” version of the future. The technology was otherworldly, but the style of the sets, costuming and spaceships recalled a scrappy industrial complex. Its influence is undeniable, even to contemporary directors.

But “Blade Runner” was a box office flop. Fans blame studio meddling, which added a half-baked “happy” ending and reduced complex themes down to a simple detective story for the initial theatrical release. Now there are seven different cuts of “Blade Runner” out there, and each one presents a different version of the story. If it sounds overwhelming and unnecessary, it is.

And yet “Blade Runner 2049,” a direct sequel to the original film, has arrived in theaters. Helmed by acclaimed director Denis Villeneuve and starring Ryan Gosling, “2049” is a testament to both the longevity of Scott’s original vision and how powerful visual filmmaking can overcome narrative missteps. The movie is emotionally resonant, well-acted and the best-looking film audiences will see all year.

The story picks up 30 years after the original “Blade Runner.” In the universe, humanity has developed an entire species of androids called replicants who are so lifelike they’re indistinguishable from humans. They’re used as slave labor, performing tasks from which “real” people shy away. Should a replicant develop consciousness and start to rebel against its human handlers, assassins called “blade runners” are tasked with hunting them down before they cause too much damage.

“2049” follows Agent K (Gosling), a young Blade Runner who happens across the bones of a long-dead replicant during a routine mission. An analysis reveals a shocking discovery: this replicant gave birth before she died. K’s handler Lt. Joshi (Robin Wright) is fearful instantly. If replicants can reproduce, they truly have no use for humanity anymore. To stifle the discovery, she tasks K with hunting down the child.

Elsewhere, the wealthy industrialist Niander Wallace (Jared Leto) creates replicants, but worries that his supply will soon run low. To find the secret to replicant reproduction, he sends his brutal agent Luv (Sylvia Hoeks) after K.

To call this world “dark” would be an understatement. The original film dealt almost entirely in shadows, with streams of light offering glimpses of a beautifully realized world. Villeneuve and master cinematographer follow suit, with more touches of daylight. Deakins’ work behind the camera has always been outstanding. Here, he has completely outdone himself. Every shot could be shown in a museum with zero irony. It’s hard to think of a more gorgeous film yet released. Thanks to a pulsing, bass-y synth score from Hans Zimmer, the film completely envelops its audiences. It belongs on the largest screens possible.

If there are flaws, most will emerge from an audience’s tastes. “2049,” like the film that precedes it, is dreamlike and long. At nearly three hours, its near lack of explosive action will bore a lot of viewers. But the film is emotionally resonant and so visually striking that Villeneuve makes up for a lack of narrative action. For fans of the original, it’s a must-watch. And even if it feels like nothing is happening, be patient. This is a finely crafted movie that rewards those looking for the spectacular hidden in plain sight.

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