Oscar

(Not the little angry green fury creature, but the other one.)

I really appreciate the Gladiator shot of Russell Crow. Not THAT was a movie.
American Beauty for me is tied with the Crow-man, but unfortunately didn't make the cut...

So here comes the film.

I am planning to watch the main Oscar nominated films.

So far 2 down, 4 or 5ish to go, (not sure whether or not I’m going to end up watching the Artist.. I’ve not been in the best mood for it for some reason). 

Have Seen:

Midnight in Paris

The Descendants

Have Not Seen:

The Help

Moneyball

War Horse

The Tree of Life

The Artist

Don't really want to see: Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close or Hugo

A few days ago I put my time in and watched what I was most excited about from the trailer, The Descendants. 

George Clooney plays Matt King, an aloof dad and “backup parent” when his wife is in a coma after a boating accident. I couldn’t help but feel the similarities to his character in Up in the Air, I didn’t see anything new. Set in Hawaii, Matt is dealing with the fact that they will have to unplug his wife from life support and eventually finds out that his wife was cheating on him. What should have been a quirky story with sarcastic dialogue that highlights Matt’s moral dilemma (which the trailer suggests) turned into a plot line that remained the same the entire movie.  The focal point of the movie is Clooney’s character’s relationship with his daughters (played by Shailene Woodley and Amara Miller). Every piece of dialogue is just an ironic innuendo hinting to Matt’s personal crisis (and leaves the viewer with only remorse and sadness). Furthermore, the characters achievements are not merited, and seem to just happen. I don’t feel that Matt’s character realized anything or changed on an emotional level. The sub plot is centered around this huge amount of land of which Matt and his cousins are the beneficiaries. They plan to sell the land for a massive profit to developers. I won’t give away the ending, but let’s just say it all ended as I expected. 

It’s a nice film. A little too Hollywood and predictable for me. But nice. I think they could have made it darker, with a little more “Little Miss Sunshine” humour, and it would have tipped the scale over, from streamline to smart. 

On Rotten Tomatoes this movie got great reviews (89%). So maybe you will find it more interesting? 

My Rating: Hopefully not a Winner

I have already mentioned Midnight in Paris in a previous post so I won’t get too much into detail.

Quite simply: YOU MUST SEE IT. One of my favourite movies. 

Excellent script

Excellent director (Woody Allen) 

Shows off Paris

Well casted actors (Don’t doubt Owen Wilson, he pulls it off unquestionably.)

Really inspiring film. I left the theatre skipping with my mom through the lit up trees downtown. What’s great is that you feel you learn’t something but didn’t get weighed down by it at all. 

My Rating: I’d love it to win, but I have a feeling it won’t. At least for now.

A great follow up to the movie is “A Movable Feast” by Ernest Hemingway. Once you see the film, you’ll see why.