#Washingtonpost.com best movies 2017 movie

In 'Split,' he gives what is arguably his finest performance yet, convincingly conveying vulnerability, menace, engaging humor and psychotic threat in a turn that's memorable for its gracefulness, even amid growing carnage. McAvoy is best known for his work in the 'X-Men' franchise, but he's proved his chops in higher-toned material, including ' Atonement' and ' The Last King of Scotland.' But there's a name that deserves to be called and probably won't - not because the performance was lacking, but that the film surrounding it just didn't have the stuff.Īs breathtaking screen performances go, there's no doubt that James McAvoy delivered one in ' Split.' In that film he portrayed a young man with multiple personality disorder, a role that called on him to shape-shift into myriad personae, often within a single scene - sometimes within a single line reading. If early awards chatter has any predictive value, Oldman will be joined by the likes of Timothée Chalamet (' Lady Bird,' 'Call Me by Your Name'), Daniel Day-Lewis ('Phantom Thread') and Tom Hanks (' The Post') when Academy Award nominations are announced on Jan.

#Washingtonpost.com best movies 2017 movie

Anyone who sees ' Darkest Hour' this weekend will come away with at least one certainty: Gary Oldman is a shoo-in to receive an Oscar nomination, and might even win for his portrayal of British Prime Minister Winston Churchill.įair enough: Oldman’s performance is nothing if not awards-worthy, as he slips with uncanny ease - and the help of some seamless prosthetics and makeup - into both the exterior and interior lives of a man who seems to reincarnate before our eyes as the movie unspools.