Here are some photos of Sam Rockwell, Frances McDormand and the peeps from Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri at the BAFTAs last night. Three Billboards picked up major BAFTA Awards for Best Actress (for McDorman) Best Supporting Actor (for Rockwell), Best Picture, Best British Film and Best Screenplay. Frances is having a ball at these awards shows, even though I suspect that she doesn’t even want to win. She wore a red and black Valentino gown and no one said sh-t about how she should have worn a majority-black gown, probably because she’s Frances F–king McDormand.
As I’ve said many times at this point, McDormand is the person from Three Billboards that I’m most “okay” with winning awards. I mean, give her Best Actress. It’s fine. I don’t think Three Billboards was her best performance or anything, but she’s a cool lady and she did her best with an extremely problematic script – she elevated the work to a crazy degree. But giving the other awards to Three Billboards? My God. I said this on Twitter last night: once the haze has lifted, months from now, and people are really analyzing why Three Billboards won the Best Picture Oscar – because I can feel that, at this point, it will happen – people will be embarrassed that they made this kind of fuss over such a sh-tty, problematic movie about a racist murderer’s white redemption. Oh, and f–king Dunkirk should have won Best British Film. I have no idea why it didn’t.
The other BAFTAs went to Gary Oldman for Best Actor (The Darkest Hour), Allison Janney for Best Supporting Actress, Guillermo del Toro for Best Director and Daniel Kaluuya won the BAFTA Rising Star Award.
Photos courtesy of WENN.
I don’t feel like the cop got a redemltion story at all? The movie has it’s issues, but I like that it doesn’t show a perfect ending. Bad people stay bad people, even if they sometimes try to do good things. It’s realistic.
The usual hollywood uplifting endings with a moral story just annoy me.
Yeah, agreed that it’s not a redemption story. The character Rockwell plays does try and be better but in no way does the movie excuse him or say he’s an angel. I think the movie is sort of hopeful in the sense that we all have ugliness in us but that we can grow and we can do better if we are truly remorseful for past crimes. Or are we all above looking at the complexities of humanity now and we just cancel or ostracise everything problematic, refusing to acknowledge any type of growth?
I’ll agree that Three Billboards is problematic in that we don’t get any major black perspective in a film that deals with racism but just because it doesn’t subscribe to a very simplistic black vs. white morality with an anvillicious teachable lesson like we’re all six year olds (RACISM = BAD), it doesn’t mean the film is poor or deeply problematic as discussed by its detractors who just want to prejudge because one of the main characters isn’t a beacon of social justice.
” I think the movie is sort of hopeful in the sense that we all have ugliness in us but that we can grow and we can do better if we are truly remorseful for past crimes.”
I think that is the problem. That sentiment is what makes everyone so uncomfortable. While we may all have ugliness inside of us, I personally am not capable of physically abusing someone based on their race. That’s not just a regular human short-coming.
Also, the only way that this isn’t a redemption story is if he is truly held accountable for his behavior. He wasn’t. And by the end of the movie he got to look ‘human’. A dignity that wasn’t granted to his victim.
*spoilers*
Out of curiosity, what would a redemption arc look like to you? To me, this was textbook redemption. He realised the error of his ways with the letter, survived one near death experience, saved the file, bonded with one of his victims, survived another near death experience, saved evidence, tried to save the day. The only reason he didn’t is plot reasons. The amount of physical suffering along makes it redemptive, IMO. By the end, everyone in the film and in the audience feels bad for him. Meanwhile, the black prisoner he “tortured” got f-ck all, not even a name, not even a face.
I mean, I actually liked the movie well enough when I saw it, I just have no idea why is winning Oscars, or why we’re pretending that it’s woke af. It’s not.
@Ceire
Agreed. Im baffled that people dont see how Rockwell’s character is redeemed towards the third act.
I don’t think he was redeemed at all.
I disagree that he saw the error of his ways due to the letter. What the letter did was inspire him to be a good cop when an opportunity literally fell ass backwards into his lap. No effort on his part at all!
He’s sitting in a restaurant when a possible bad guy starts running his mouth and that makes him take action. He saves the evidence, yes. But then when he finds out the guy isn’t Angela’s killer he just drops the case. Flat. lol
If this was a textbook redemption story we’d see him do something like commit to finding the killer. He would show his worthiness to redemption via some sort of selfless act that requires effort.
But instead what we see in many respects is him going back to his old patterns of playing judge and jury (and even “executioner” to some degree.)
He decides the man is guilty of SOMETHING so he’s going to go off and kill him! lol He has no proof this guy is guilty of ANYTHING at all. But he and Frances McDormand decide it’s OK to kill him.
Sam Rockwell isn’t an anti-heroic character that gets redemption IMO.
He’s a grotesque: A character that inspires both pity and disgust.
I see 3 Billboards as a very dark story. To me that ending shows how far she’s fallen, not how much he’s been redeemed. All through the film you’re lured into thinking Frances McDormand’s violence is righteous while Sam Rockwell’s violence is loathsome. But when you look back I think you see how reckless and cruel she could be due to her pain and guilt. It’s a story of violence begatting more violence IMO.
Choosing to become a vigilante hardly seems redemptive.
Agree, I didn’t see it as redemptive at all.
Who did his character murder? I don’t remember that in the movie yet this is the second time I’ve seen an article on here refer to him as a murderer.
My biggest issue is that there is essentially zero plot development.
Frances reminds of Johnny Rotten in the cover photo. Now watching her play him would be interesting.
Ha! I did not know I needed this movie until now, but I really do!
It’s like f’ing Crash all over again.
People will be embarrassed in a few years about the awards given to this.
Just like it’ll be embarrassing to re-watch everyone fawning over Gary Oldman if sometime in the future people start giving a shit about spousal abuse.
YEP. Crash all over. In a year with Get Out and Shape this stupid movie is getting awards. Hollywood just can’t help itself.
This is why people find these awards more and more irrelevant. Frankly I like the Emmys and GGs better because at least they award a lot of new, interesting and diverse talent.
So happy to see I am not the only one who is getting Crash vibes from this. And Crash to this day is cited as one of the most embarrassing Best Picture wins.
3B was an entertaining movie with a lot issues. Please don’t let it sweep!
Yes, exactly. Crash.
YES!
You are spot-on!
I can see how you aren’t a fan personally, but 3 Billboards is a WAY better movie than Crash.
I saw the movie a week ago and as a Dutchie who is not in a position to comment on it’s depiction of rural America, I still found it very dissapointing. For one, I was not impressed by McDormand. It feels to me like she used the bare minimum of her capabilities, but maybe that should be blamed on the way her part was written. Moreover I mostly found it a pile of rural America clichés. The ex-husband has a bimbo girlfriend. The racist cop is a good guy deep down. The small person gets treated awfully. Also, I do not feel okay with Mildred getting away with so much criminal behaviour, which feels like the movie wants me to be happy about.
Watch her in Blood Simple. SO GOOD.
I’m just pleased that my favourite film of the past 18mths won in the foreign film category. It should be in all the major categories and in every cinema, but i blame the distributors for hiding it away so it was squeezed into this foreign film category that no one ever watches. It deserves better, but you can’t win them all.
I loved Handmaiden, but I am also a fan of Elle.
Every year I enjoy the foreign language frontrunners (and sometimes frontrunners which end up not being nominated. 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days is one of the best movies ever!) than the Best Picture frontrunners. This year I am still catching up and even though I live in a big city with arthouse theatres seeing all of them before the ceremony is still a challenge. This year has some good ones: The Square, A Fantastic Woman, Loveless, The Insult are all excellent movies. I cannot find On Body and Soul playing anywhere!
Gosh i love all those films.
The irony of THE HANDMAIDEN is that it isn’t indie at all except for language. The story is universal. Production and set ups very mainstream. Even the source material is mainstream, the novel fingersmith by Sarah Waters set in victorian England and adapted by the BBC in 2005 starring Imelda Staunton and Sally Hawkins
Exactly. I was so confused when it started playing during the festival season and people were mentioning Sarah Waters and I thought to myself, I need to see this! I get tired Hollywood’s movies, they start to feel like junk food, even the indies may feel forced, my issue with Ladybird. That was one of the reasons I’ve enjoyed Toni Erdmann so much last year, what an unusual movie, with wonderful actors and unconventional plot line. And that ending!
Is the Shape of Water just too weird for Sally Hawkins to win? Did not enough people see it? Do you got to be married to a Coen and do a movie once every 3 years for recognition? I just don’t understand.
I really didn’t like this movie very much. I can’t put my finger on exactly WHY, but I just did not care for it.
I liked it okay, but can’t see Oscar all over it. Meanwhile, I admire most of Frances McDormand’s work, but this seemed a bit lazy on her part, and I enjoy seeing actors win who are thrilled to win. FM will show up looking like she just rolled out of bed and will probably look bored. Let someone who has incredible talent, but has never been recognized, win. Let Ladybird win.
I didn’t really like it either. I’m not sure why it’s winning these awards over other better films.
I didn’t see the film. But I do love Frances McDormand and Sam Rockwell a lot. So I’m happy for them.
I love Sam Rockwell and am happy he is finally getting the recognition that he deserves.
Someone apparently missed the point. There was no real redemption, but it’s funny that’s what you took away. Sam Rockwell deserves this.
He really does deserve it.
Frances MacDormand’s speech was amazing. So happy also for Sam Rockwell and Del Toro.
Meh. DO not get the love here at all. The misogyny and the racism? Nope.
I love Sam and Frances, but this movie gets a pass from me.
I liked it. There are major holes and it’s not perfect but all that aside, the acting was phenomenal. It also revolved around very dark subject matter but the writing kept it level at all times. I hope Sam and Frances win the Oscar.
I had at least three people in the pub (on different days) tell me they thought Frances McDormand was phenomenal in here, and after getting over my initial reluctance and watching the film, I can see why. Unlike other people though, I didn’t see it as redemptive to the racist cop – but for such a grim subject, it wasn’t the downer I expected (people actually laughed in my theatre at some parts, that was a surprise).
I think Martin McDonagh has made better films (I still love In Bruges) but I wouldn’t be mad if the Best Actress Oscar went to Frances. Though I honestly don’t think she even wants it at this point, she has nothing left to prove.
I found the movie completely mesmerizing. There was not one actor that did not completely awe me in this movie. I don’t know about the movie itself but if we’re talking acting, it should take those awards.
I mean, I am all for women power and all that, but does she have to go to awards events looking like my crazy Aunt Eileen? Listen, I loved my aunt but she had orange/red hair that stood straight up and wore a house coat everywhere. One time she stood in the middle of a busy sidewalk outside a hospital in NYC and screamed at my uncle “I DON’T NEED ANYTHING I’M FINE I HAVE MY WHOLE PAYCHECK ON ME”, and we weren’t in a great neighborhood, but I swear to God you could see the people backing away from her. They must of thought she was police bait.
That’s all I can think of looking at Frances here. But listen, I loved and adored my aunt Eileen and miss her every day. But still
I agree, she looks unhinged lately.
I’m all for being yourself. But I also think looking neat and presentable for a special occasion doesn’t make you a Kardashian.
I LOVE that she doesn’t wear makeup (I say that as a woman who gave up makeup about two years ago, and now only wear it on the rarest of occasions), but her hair literally looks like she just rolled out of bed, or just did yard work on a hot day.
That is a VERY minor criticism, though. I love her as an actress, and always have. I just sort of chuckled at her hair.
I really liked the movie, and I love Frances’ dress here.
I thought she chose a dress printed with lipsticks because everyone made such a big deal about her not wearing makeup to awards shows.
I LOVE that she doesn’t wear makeup to awards shows! You go, Frances!
Jesus does the woman own a brush or lip balm.
She acknowledged why she didn’t wear black in her acceptance speech.
Frances McDormand looks like a total mental case. I’m OVER her. Period. Can we offer her a makeover…and a muzzle?
Why a makeover? I’d agree with a comb and some non-tinted lip balm. But that’s it. Let her look how she wants to look otherwise.
More importantly, why a muzzle? What has she said that has bothered you enough to make her want to not be able to speak?