Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri. Martin McDonagh, writer, producer, and director. Who said a movie can’t tell a great story? Most can’t, or important story threads are left on the cutting room floor, but this one does. If this were a book, I’d call it minimalist writing akin to what I like to practice, because a lot is left to the viewers’ imaginations, allowing them to participate in the creative process. But this movie has a great plot and fantastic characters who are both flawed and heroic. Without being a mystery story, there are plenty of twists and turns that made me admire McDonagh’s skills as a writer.

Except for Woody Harrelson, I hadn’t heard of any of the actors, but Frances McDermott, Sam Rockwell, and Woody all deserve their Oscar nominations, especially McDermott, who is great as the frustrated mother of a wild daughter who was raped and murdered. After a year or more, the case still hasn’t been solved, so she creates three billboards that embarrass the local police department, headed up by Woody.

There aren’t many people who are all bad here, and they’re not who you might expect. And there will be scenes everyone will remember. The one with the dentist ranks right up there with the outhouse scene in Jurassic Park, comedy noir corresponding to physical justice.

Intense and clever, this movie is definitely among the best I’ve seen in the 2017 offerings.

***

Rembrandt’s Angel (a mystery/thriller from Penmore Press). To what lengths would you go to recover a stolen masterpiece? Scotland Yard’s Art and Antiques Inspector Esther Brookstone goes the extra mile. She and paramour/sidekick Bastiann van Coevorden, an Interpol agent, set out to outwit the dealers of stolen art and recover “An Angel with Titus’ Features,” a Rembrandt painting stolen by Nazis in World War Two. Their efforts lead to much more as they uncover an international conspiracy that threatens Europe. During their dangerous adventures, their relationship solidifies and becomes a full-blown romance. This book is available in ebook format, including a .mobi (Kindle) version, at Smashwords and the latter’s affiliate retailers (Apple, B&N, Kobo). It’s also available as a print version at Amazon, B&N, or your favorite bookstore (if not there, ask for it).

In libris libertas!

This entry was posted on Thursday, February 15th, 2018 at 3:30 am and is filed under Movie Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.