"Fiction" Films
1) LincolnAwesome. The all star cast make you forget they're stars and remind you that they're actors. Read: James Spader, Joseph Gordon Levitt, Tommy Lee Jones (except that Jones did kind of deliver a "star performance"), David Strathairn, Jarred Harris (I didn't even recognize him as U.S. Grant).
2) The Beasts of the Southern Wild
I liked this. Didn't love it like all the critics and some people I know. I admire what the director accomplished with this film on no budget and amateur actors who were better than some of the "pros" I know. I got a "Whale Rider" vibe from this, though I liked Whale Rider better. The scenes with the young heroine and the beasts were a bit heavy handed in their symbolism and long, and a bit boring.
3) Zero Dark 30
Most people loved this film. I liked it and loved some parts. But I had some issues with it. I couldn't get passed the naivete of the CIA woman who thought she landed on the perfect informant. It was just too unsubtle for me. Jessica Chastain did a great job, but again, her character seemed to lack dimension. Torture, blah blah blah. I totally didn't care about this controversy in the media. Those people focus on the stupidest things.
4) Silver Linings Playbook
Liked it a lot. Entertaining. Good acting. Good script. To me, this felt like a really excellent, high level romantic comedy. And I don't understand people who thought this shouldn't be in the comedy section. It was totally funny to me.
5) Django Unchained
What's not to love? This was the feel-good movie of the year. Great fun. Got a little long towards the end for me. I'm purposely not talking about the fact that some people thought this film saved America, because that shit just annoys me. Samuel L. Jackson not getting nominated is a travesty.
PREDICTIONS (who I think will win):
Best Picture: Lincoln
Best Director: Steven Spielberg
(How you can separate the two escapes me, but whatever.)
Best Actor: Should go to Daniel Day Lewis, might go to Hugh Jackman. A small part of me wants to give it to Bradley Cooper. Very small.
Best Actresses: Jennifer Lawrence. Or possibly Jessica Chastain. I'm having a hard time deciding between these two.
Supporting Actor: Tommy Lee Jones. Or Christoph Waltz. But I think it'll be Tommy
Supporting Actress: Anne Hathaway. Or Sally Field. But I think it'll be Annie.
Best Original Screenplay: Django? Zero Dark 30?
Best Adapted Screenplay: Lincoln - Tony Kushner all the way
Documentaries
Note: If you're an Oscar nominated documentary, you know you kick serious ass. I've never seen a bad nominated doc.
Awesome. Heart wrenching. I've already written about this doc here.
Also awesome. It depicts gay activists of the 80s, many of whom had HIV or AIDS, fighting the Man about finding a cure to the disease more quickly, with less red tape and less stigma. They succeeded in a lot of ways. A great lesson in activism and getting organized.
3) Searching for Sugar Man
Rodriguez, a lauded singer songwriter from Detroit, a would-be-Dylan, inexplicably falls into obscurity in the US only to find real success in South Africa-- unbeknownst to him. It's an amazing story. I was a little disappointed when someone I met recently told me his South African parents had never heard of Rodriguez, but oh well. The point is that his talent has finally been recognized here in the USA and he certainly deserves it.
4) 5 Broken Cameras
Or "How to Make Israel Look Real Bad." Told from the perspective of a Palestinian farmer who filmed his village's peaceful protests against Israeli West Bank settlers/soldiers, the words to describe this film are "poignant" and "heart-breaking." It's the closest I feel I've gotten to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict/tension whatever you wanna call it. That said, I would be shocked if this won the award given it's "controversial nature." This ain't no Weinstein movie.
5) The Gatekeepers
I haven't seen this because I don't know how to access it. But thought I'd point out that this film is a series of candid interviews with six former members of Shin Bet, Israel's counterterrorism agency. Can't wait to see it.
Rodriguez, a lauded singer songwriter from Detroit, a would-be-Dylan, inexplicably falls into obscurity in the US only to find real success in South Africa-- unbeknownst to him. It's an amazing story. I was a little disappointed when someone I met recently told me his South African parents had never heard of Rodriguez, but oh well. The point is that his talent has finally been recognized here in the USA and he certainly deserves it.
4) 5 Broken Cameras
Or "How to Make Israel Look Real Bad." Told from the perspective of a Palestinian farmer who filmed his village's peaceful protests against Israeli West Bank settlers/soldiers, the words to describe this film are "poignant" and "heart-breaking." It's the closest I feel I've gotten to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict/tension whatever you wanna call it. That said, I would be shocked if this won the award given it's "controversial nature." This ain't no Weinstein movie.
5) The Gatekeepers
I haven't seen this because I don't know how to access it. But thought I'd point out that this film is a series of candid interviews with six former members of Shin Bet, Israel's counterterrorism agency. Can't wait to see it.
PREDICTIONS:
Best Documentary: I think Invisible War is gonna to win. It's a current issue that has attracted the support of Congressmen and women. For that reason alone, I think it has a really big shot. Plus I cried like a mo fo watching it.
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