IT'S THE EIGHTH ANNUAL ZOMBOSCARS!

It's time for the eighth annual Zomboscars, where the Movie Zombie makes his selections for the year's outstanding achievements in cinema. I operate using the same categories you will find on the Academy Awards, and any film that had its primary theatrical release, either in the United States (for films I saw during my tenure there) or in Ireland (since September 28, when I arrived in the country), are eligible for consideration.

One notation:  You will notice that War On Everyone, initially selected as one of my Best Picture nominees on my last blog, covering my ten best films of 2017, is no longer mentioned among the selections on this countdown. This film has unfortunately fallen prey to one of the perils of being a non-professional film critic...namely, that I don't always get to see everything I would like to in as timely a fashion as I would want. As a result, sometimes pictures get displaced in my top 10 after the "Best Of" article (which always goes out before the Zomboscars) if I see another of the year's releases in the interim that surprises or impresses me more. And this year, that was definitely the case, as I was able to take in a New Year's Day showing of the new, original Hugh Jackman-starring P.T. Barnum musical The Greatest Showman, and was quite frankly bowled over by how much I enjoyed this tuneful, energetic, deeply felt, and beautifully made labor of love. It was one of 2017's great cinematic surprises for me, and it knocked War on Everyone out of its top 10 berth. I still highly recommend you check it out...but after you've already seen The Greatest Showman.

And now, without further ado, here are my choices for the best of 2017's cinema. My selections for the winners in each category are noted in all caps.

BEST PICTURE

Battle of the Sexes

Brimstone

THE DEATH OF STALIN

Dunkirk

The Greatest Showman

John Wick: Chapter 2

Kong: Skull Island

Life

Spider-Man: Homecoming

Wonder Woman

BEST ACTOR

Brian Cox, Churchill

Idris Elba, The Dark Tower

Tom Holland, Spider-Man: Homecoming

GUY PEARCE, BRIMSTONE

Michael Peña, War on Everyone

BEST ACTRESS

Dakota Fanning, Brimstone

GAL GADOT, WONDER WOMAN

Michelle Rodriguez, The Assignment

Emma Stone, Battle of the Sexes

Kristin Scott Thomas, The Party

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Jacob Batalon, Spider-Man: Homecoming

SIMON RUSSELL BEALE, THE DEATH OF STALIN

Armie Hammer, Free Fire

Chris Pine, Wonder Woman

John C. Reilly, Kong: Skull Island

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

PATRICIA CLARKSON, THE PARTY

Michelle Pfeiffer, Murder on the Orient Express

Keala Settle, The Greatest Showman

Sarah Silverman, Battle of the Sexes

Sigourney Weaver, The Assignment

BEST DIRECTOR

Michael Gracey, The Greatest Showman

ARMANDO IANNUCCI, THE DEATH OF STALIN

Patty Jenkins, Wonder Woman

Christopher Nolan, Dunkirk

Chad Stahelski, John Wick: Chapter 2

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

Simon Beaufoy, Battle of the Sexes

MARTIN KOOLHOVEN, BRIMSTONE

Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, Life

Sally Potter, The Party

John Michael McDonagh, War on Everyone

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

ARMANDO IANNUCCI, DAVID SCHNEIDER, IAN MARTIN, PETER FELLOWS; ORGINAL SCREENPLAY BY FABIEN NURY; THE DEATH OF STALIN
Derek Kolstad, John Wick: Chapter 2

Dan Gilroy, Max Borenstein, and Derek Connolly; story by John Gatins, Kong: Skull Island

Jonathan Goldstein, John Francis Daley, Jon Watts, Christopher Ford, Chris McKenna, and Erik Sommers; story by Goldstein and Daley, Spider-Man: Homecoming

Allan Heinberg; story by Allan Heinberg, Zack Snyder, and Jason Fuchs, Wonder Woman

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE

BENJAMIN WALLFISCH AND HANS ZIMMER, BLADE RUNNER 2049

Tom Holkenborg, The Dark Tower

Jon Ekstrand, Life

Clint Mansell, Loving Vincent

Mychael Danna, The Man Who Invented Christmas

BEST ORIGINAL SONG

“Ooh La La” from David Brent: Life on the Road

“The Greatest Show” from The Greatest Showman

"REWRITE THE STARS" FROM THE GREATEST SHOWMAN

“Starry Starry Night” from Loving Vincent

“Hatchet (The Ballad of Victor Crowley)” from Victor Crowley

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

ROGER DEAKINS, BLADE RUNNER 2049

Rogier Stoffers, Brimstone

Hoyte Van Hoytema, Dunkirk

Seamus McGarvey, The Greatest Showman

Larry Fong, Kong: Skull Island

BEST FILM EDITING

The Death of Stalin

Dunkirk

THE GREATEST SHOWMAN

John Wick: Chapter 2

Spider-Man: Homecoming

BEST ART DIRECTION

Battle of the Sexes

BLADE RUNNER 2049

The Death of Stalin

The Greatest Showman

Murder on the Orient Express

BEST COSTUME DESIGN

Blade Runner 2049

THE GREATEST SHOWMAN

Justice League

Murder on the Orient Express

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales

BEST SOUND MIXING

Blade Runner 2049

Dunkirk

FREE FIRE

John Wick: Chapter 2

Spider-Man: Homecoming

BEST SOUND EFFECTS EDITING

Blade Runner 2049

Justice League

KONG: SKULL ISLAND

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales

Spider-Man: Homecoming

BEST MAKEUP AND HAIR DESIGN

Battle of the Sexes

Brimstone

THE DEATH OF STALIN

The Greatest Showman

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS

BLADE RUNNER 2049

Kong: Skull Island

Life

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales

Spider-Man: Homecoming

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE

THE REAGAN SHOW

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE

THE LEGO BATMAN MOVIE
Loving Vincent