AND THE PRIZE FOR THE MOST PC FILM . . .
Never mind audience enjoyment, how do the contenders for Best Picture measure up for PC point-scoring . . .
Hidden Figures
HOUSTON, we have a racism problem. Kevin Costner, Octavia Spencer and Kirsten Dunst star in the story of the black women mathematicians at Nasa. At one point, Costner tears down the ‘Colored Women’ bathroom sign, saying: ‘Here at Nasa, we all pee the same colour.’ RIGHT-ON RATING: 3/5
Fences
DENZEL WASHINGTON’S bitter binman was a great baseball player but never got the chance to play at the highest level because, he says, of his colour. Now his son has the opportunity to compete, and Denzel — putting up barriers by building a fence around his house — wants to stop him. RIGHT-ON RATING: 4/5
Hacksaw Ridge
MEL GIBSON’S directorial comeback tells the real-life story of Desmond Doss (Andrew Garfield) who refused to carry
Lion
ANOTHER real-life story, about a poor Indian boy who gets lost and ends up in an orphanage before being adopted by a wealthy Australian (Nicole Kidman). When the boy grows up (Dev Patel), he returns to India to find his real family. RIGHT-ON RATING: 3/5
Hell Or High Water
JEFF BRIDGES plays a Texas Ranger on the trail of two bank- raiding brothers. But not only did their father abuse them, they were only stealing the money to save the family ranch. RIGHT ON RATING: 4/5
La La Land
RYAN GOSLING and Emma Stone star as lovers in this musical romcom about LA, which is bathed in wide-screen nostalgia for oldstyle Hollywood. RIGHT-ON RATING: 2/5
Manchester By The Sea
MATT DAMON produced this tearjerker, starring Casey Affleck as Lee Chandler, who unwillingly looks after his teenage nephew after the boy’s father dies. Lee was jollier when he was married to his ex (Michelle Williams), but he got drunk, leaving his children to die in a fire. Another family-trumps-all film. RIGHT-ON RATING: 3/5
Moonlight
TICKING every conceivable box, the story of a black child — living in Miami with his crack-addicted mother (Naomie Harris) — who grows up gay. Cue an examination of the difficulties of homosexuality in the ghetto. RIGHT-ON RATING: 5/5