Darkest Hour (2017)

[Britnasty]

3/5.

It’s fine? Interesting enough. Oldman is stellar and once you get past all of the shouting, it’s a decent performance. Lily James is wasted in her role but still nice to see her.

[CelluloidPal]

Just came from a showing and really liked it a lot. It's gonna be a close one between Oldman and Franco. He was outright awesome and was more than him just shouting. Consider this a companion piece to Nolan's Dunkirk.
Chalk this one as another of my faves of the year.

[Pounder]

Saw this a couple nights ago and I was maybe the only one that managed to stay awake during this thing. There were about 10 of us total and i heard at least 6 different snore sounds. I enjoyed it for Oldman's performance. 3/5

[CelluloidPal]

Originally Posted by Pounder

Saw this a couple nights ago and I was maybe the only one that managed to stay awake during this thing. There were about 10 of us total and i heard at least 6 different snore sounds. I enjoyed it for Oldman's performance. 3/5

Whoa. Was the movie THAT long? I thought it moved like a shot and kept me engaged.

[Eye Candy]

Even if Gary Oldman gets a belated Oscar for his portrayal of Churchill,

I like Albert Finney's in 2002's "The Gathering Storm" better.

CHURCHILL Trailer (2017) - YouTube

[dommie]

I saw this when it came out over a month ago. One of the best films of the year and Oldman was brilliant. Hands down my choice for the Best Actor Oscar. Film will get a Best Picture nod but will probably not win. It's in the running though.

[javi92]

This was great UNTIL the subway scene. It felt totally contrived and for me neutered everything great that had come before. As the critic Kristian Lin said, "the pandering to modern sensibilities left me feeling insulted, and it would be enough to derail a better movie than this."

[CelluloidPal]

Originally Posted by javi92

This was great UNTIL the subway scene. It felt totally contrived and for me neutered everything great that had come before. As the critic Kristian Lin said, "the pandering to modern sensibilities left me feeling insulted, and it would be enough to derail a better movie than this."

The subway scene was one of the best scenes in the film. It never felt contrived or pandering in any way. That scene proved pivotal for what was to follow.

[yellowjacket1]

8/10

As advertised except the film ended much too soon for my taste. It’s a wonderful depiction of Winston Churchill’s rise to be England’s Prime Minister but I was expecting to see more of his trials and war decisions after assuming the position. It feels like an incomplete movie. Yet, when a film runs almost two hours and it feels brief and leaves you wanting more maybe it did its job after all?

[Riddler The Slag]

Saw it last night, went to dinner and came home and watched Dunkirk.

9/10 - loved it. Give Oldman the Oscar already! Absolutely fantastic film.

[Batman1980]

Absolutely fantastic film from beginning to end

[cinemaphile]

This is the kind of film that is hard for me to review, because while it is technically a good film, I found myself quite bored watching it. It's very similar to another political biopic - Spielberg's Lincoln - in that they are "good" movies with great casts anchored by OUTSTANDING lead performances, but in both cases I was literally struggling to stay awake watching them.

Oldman's performance - 5/5
The film - 3/5

[A Sith Lord?]

Eh.

I love politics in general. So I loved both DH and Lincoln.

[Batman1980]

I was never bored watching it, the main issue I had was not being able to understand some of the dialogue so I look forward to the BD.

[Jasonic]

Originally Posted by MasturB

Eh.

I love politics in general. So I loved both DH and Lincoln.

Not big on politics, but I love learning about history, so I also loved Darkest Hour and Lincoln.

[Spirit Zero]

Oldman should win the best actor Oscar for this, there is simply no other performance that can top him.

[Eye Candy]

Originally Posted by Spirit Zero

Oldman should win the best actor Oscar for this, there is simply no other performance that can top him.

I haven't seen DH, but I remember Jack Nicholson's performance in the final courtroom scene in A Few Good Men.

What is the scene in DH that gives Gary the Oscar nod? I'd like to view it once it becomes available on YouTube.

[cinemaphile]

Originally Posted by Eye Candy

I haven't seen DH, but I remember Jack Nicholson's performance in the final courtroom scene in A Few Good Men.

What is the scene in DH that gives Gary the Oscar nod? I'd like to view it once it becomes available on YouTube.

I don't think there's a specific scene so much as the overall performance. If you watch the trailer you'll see a few of the meatier moments though.

[Foggy]

Originally Posted by Spirit Zero

Oldman should win the best actor Oscar for this, there is simply no other performance that can top him.

What's you thoughts on the film as a whole? Or is this just going off the trailer/buzz?

[dommie]

Originally Posted by Eye Candy

I haven't seen DH, but I remember Jack Nicholson's performance in the final courtroom scene in A Few Good Men.

What is the scene in DH that gives Gary the Oscar nod? I'd like to view it once it becomes available on YouTube.

Can't really compare the two. Nicholson was nominated in the Supporting Actor category and having one real strong scene in a film can get you a nomination in that category. Oldman will be up for the Best Actor (lead) category and you don't usually get nominated for a lead performance on the strength of one scene but rather if your performance carries through the whole film. In the case of Darkest Hour, I thought the film, as a whole, was one of the best films of 2017. That certainly would not have been the case if Oldman hadn't been so captivating in the lead role throughout the entire film. He gets my nod for a nomination and the win.