Arrival (2016)
First screened in November 2016
Director: Denis Villeneuve. Cast: Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner, Forest Whitaker, Michael Stuhlbarg, Mark O'Brien, Lucas Chartier-Dessert, Christian Jadah, Tzi Ma, Frank Schorpion, Jadyn Malone, Abigail Pniowsky, Julia Scarlett Dan. Screenplay: Eric Heisserer (based on the short story "Story of Your Life" by Ted Chiang).

Twitter Capsule: Oddly stereoscopic spectacle: one eye sees a conceptually ambitious puzzle, the other a web of underimagined platitudes.

VOR:   Reaction warmed upon second viewing, especially with regard to its adventurous use of music, sound, and story structure. Mixed but ambitious.



Photo © 2016 Paramount Pictures/FilmNation Entertainment

Not yet reviewed in full. Grade: B


Academy Award Nominations and Winners:
Best Picture
Best Director: Denis Villeneuve
Best Adapted Screenplay: Eric Heisserer
Best Cinematography: Bradford Young
Best Production Design: Patrice Vermette; Paul Hotte
Best Film Editing: Joe Walker
Best Sound Mixing: Bernard Gariépy Strobl and Claude La Haye
Best Sound Editing: Sylvain Bellemare

Golden Globe Nominations:
Best Actress (Drama): Amy Adams
Best Original Score: Jóhann Jóhannsson

Other Awards:
Venice Film Festival: Future Film Festival Digital Award
Writers Guild of America Awards: Best Adapted Screenplay
National Board of Review: Best Actress (Adams)
British Academy Awards (BAFTAs): Best Sound Mixing

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