It's Oscar time

It's here! It's here! The Oscar's are tomorrow night. While I've been rudely absent, I am logging my final analysis here before the big night tomorrow night.

We did see the other two Best Picture nominees, Frost/Nixon and The Reader.

Frost/Nixon - I was a tween when this drama unfolded in our nation, yet I knew there was something historical going on in the world. I could tell by the way my parents watched intently, grumbled and growled, and expressed concern, that it was something important. I initially thought how can you make an entire movie about just a set of interviews? But, the screenplay was masterfully written, and the actors were absolutely amazing, especially Frank Langella as Nixon. It turned out to be an insightful and brilliant character study of Nixon. I loved the movie.

The Reader - I went to this movie with trepidation. I knew going in that this wasn't going to be an uplifting movie and had some reservations about seeing a movie where an older woman took advantage of a teenage boy. But once in the movie, I completely lost sight of that aspect. It was such a sad story with profound messages about illiteracy. There is a point in the movie where Hannah Schmitz would rather take sole responsibility to a crime of murdering 300 people (which she wasn't solely responsible for) than reveal that she was illiterate. Kate Winslet was brilliant. This woman had no redeeming qualities, yet Winslet made me feel deep emotions for her.

All in all - great movies this year!!! My pick for best picture is Slumdog Millionaire. My other picks:

Sean Penn - best actor for Milk
Kate Winslet - best actress for The Reader
Heath Ledger - best supporting actor for Dark Knight
Penelope Cruz - best supporting actress for a movie I have yet to see!

I think Slumdog will walk away with a lot of oscars, and I'm hopeful Benjamin Button doesn't!

Another Movie Update

So the Oscar's were announced this past week, and since they were we've seen 3 movies in 3 days. Yes, we either crazy or have too much time on our hands (or a little of both I fear). Here's our movie viewing so far:

Benjamin Button - Forrest Gump meets ET. I know the academy loves big life-stories like this one, but I am not sure it is worthy of a best picture nod. It was a good movie, but tooooooo long. It is nearly 3 hours long. I liked it, it wasn't a waste of my time, but Brad Pitt's acting left something to be desired. He felt detached and emotionless. I couldn't figure out if it was his character or his acting. But considering the character, I think it was the acting that was flawed. Anyway, don't let that stop you. It's a movie worthy of seeing, just not worthy of an oscar...

Milk - Excellent movie, I just loved it. Even though I knew how it was going to end, I was engaged and felt as though I was living the movement. Personally, I'm glad that we finally have a mainstream effort at illuminating the plight of the GLBT community. This movie goes a long way to shed the light on the injustice that their community has suffered, and continues to suffer.

Slumdog Millionaire - As much as I liked Milk, this movie is my favorite so far of the Best Picture nominees. The cinematography was spectacular, the storytelling fascinating, the characters compelling. An amazing movie with a no-name cast. You've likely not heard of anyone in this movie, but you'll leave not being able to get their characters out of your mind. Go see this movie!!!

I still need to see The Reader and Frost/Nixon before I can make my prediction on best picture. I have lots of other movies to see before February 22nd...so I hope you all don't mind my recaps as they come!

Tell me what you've thought of these movies?

More Movie Reviews

If you're in search of Oscar worthy movies, Marley and Me is not one of them. However, it was a cute movie with a meaningful message. If you have younger kids, take them, they'll love it. If you're looking for an escape from heavy, deep, thought provoking movies - this is a good respite. But enough about that one...

I'm here today to rant about Gran Torino. This is a must see, and definitely an Oscar contender. The movie was written by a Minnesotan, and was set in Minnesota until the movie makers changed it to Michigan because Michigan gives a hefty tax break to movie producers! It tells a tale of prejudice and hatred mixed with respect and love. It is the story of colliding cultures that will leave you pondering the state of our world. I knew this was going to be a drama heading into it, so I was quite surprised at how much I laughed. The writing was spectacular. Witty. Hilarious. Thought provoking. Revealing.

I'm still utterly frustrated that we don't have Frost/Nixon, or Milk. I've also heard good things about Slumdog Millionaire, but haven't heard a word about when it will be here. It better be before the Oscars! It's hard to believe we're the third largest city in the state of Minnesota, behind only Minneapolis and St. Paul.

My favorite time of year - OSCARS!

Yep, it's that time of year when all the Oscar contenders are trying to make their impression. It's crazy that we go through a severe movie drought every fall and then are deluged with a gazillion movies that want to be remembered come Oscar time.

And, I'm all too happy to oblige them. I try and see as many as I can - but never manage to see them all!

So far I've only seen a couple - Seven Pounds and Valkyrie. THIS IS A SPOILER ALERT...if you haven't seen them and don't want me to screw it up for you - come back to this post after you've seen them.

Valkyrie was a pretty good movie, although I think the story itself is more redeeming than the moviemaking of it. It's the true story of German citizens and soldiers who felt compelled to follow their conscience and dared to oppose Hitler. I don't know if it will get nominated for anything. I liked it - but don't think it was Oscar worthy.

Seven Pounds, on the other hand, was a heart wrenching and beautiful movie. I don't know why it's been panned by the critics, unless they're just not that into themes of introspection and selflessness. I was stunned by the heartbreaking turn of events and the beauty of the main character's gifts to others: The gift of life. He was tortured by his past. His way to redeem himself was to give of himself. Completely. I was balling my eyes out at the selflessness and beauty of his choice, however misguided and tragic it was. I thought it was a beautiful movie in an "Atonement" kind of way and hope it gets a nod from the academy.

That's it for my movie reviews so far...would love to hear your thoughts on these movies if you've seen them...