i know this is off the topic of medicine, but another passion i have is for movies....so.....
the 80th annual academy awards are coming up (barring further writers' strike complications) on sunday, february 24th. as in the last few years, i plan to try to see every movie that is up for a "best picture" nomination before the awards. i like to see movies that are considered to be 'the best' the film industry has to offer in a given year. i think that often the movies that win and the messages contained within tell us a lot about our society at the time. and often there are movies nominated that i wouldn't otherwise see, so it's good exposure to good film. this year, the movies all look amazing and i haven't yet seen any of them, so i'm excited. as i see them, i will post my comments on them in the movie side bar. i challenge you to see them all, too, and then post your comments on what you like/don't like about them and which you think deserves to win and why. (responses do not need to be made in complete sentences or essay formats, there is no minimum word requirement, and purchase not necessary). :)
the nominees:
1. Atonement
2. Juno
3. Michael Clayton
4. No Country for Old Men
5. There Will Be Blood
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2 comments:
“Juno”….my first “best picture” flick on the list. Saw tonight and loved it. In case you’re unfamiliar, this is a ‘dark comedy’ about a 16 y/o weird, fierce, independent girl facing a pregnancy (and then adoption) w/ her best friends and family. I don’t know if this movie will win the award (it was also nominated for best screenplay and direction and the star, Ellen Page was nominated for best actress), but as of today, this movie is categorically in my top ten list of favorite movies. It was so good. In so many ways. It was the kind of movie I would make if I were clever enough to make movies. It reminded me of a few movies (that I also like)- “Napoleon Dynamite,” “High Fidelity,” and “Little Miss Sunshine.” The characters were so well-developed and the actors so firmly seated in their parts that the lines were delivered so naturally it felt like improv. Jennifer Garner was delightful- a very thoughtful performance. And I want to be Allison Janney when I grow up. And J.K Simmons- brilliant. The dialogue was shocking, clever, and not self-conscious, but smart and playful, honest and simple. The scenery/set, too, was so natural, so un-affected, that it seemed like a real place that you could go back to for a visit. And the music kicked ass. From beginning to end, it was unusual, creative, and very complete. I can’t say enough how much you should go and see this movie.
“Atonement”…another best picture nominee. It’s a WWII era English drama/tragedy about love, sex, injustice, class warfare and death. The scenes on the war were really well done. It showed things often not shown in war movies- the indirect deaths from unmanaged wounds and distant bombs, the soldiers’ boredom and frustration, the disorganization and chaos, the uncertainty, etc. The scenery and sets were beautiful. The acting was excellent- the male lead (James McAvoy- not nominated for an Oscar, but won all kinds of British awards) was intense and awesome. The only actor nominated for an Academy Award was the little girl that causes all the problems in the movie (Saoirse Ronan), but it was also nominated for music, cinematography, art, costume, and script. I didn’t love it. I certainly wouldn’t watch it again. It was artsy for art-sake…which I hate. It lingered on boring shots for way too long, ham-fistedly showing the audience what we were meant to be thinking (and in doing so, doubling the movie’s running time- note it was NOT nominated for editing). And it was kind of a pain following it around over time- it had all kinds of flashbacks, flash-forwards, (“and even a few flash-sideways”- to quote a great movie, “Funny Farm”). It also felt like 2 movies in one. It had this beautiful English estate Jane Austin-like romance and scandal part, and then it had the war. The tone of the movie entirely changed about ½ way through (but not in a good way like “From Dusk ‘Til Dawn”). It was just too haphazard and self-conscious/pretentious for me. It should win for cinematography and stuff, but not so much for best picture.
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