It appears that my moviegoing life just keeps getting worse and worse. Two years ago when the Oscar Nominations were announced, I had seen 7 out of the 10 films nominated for Best Picture. Last year I had only seen 3 out of 9, a tragic drop from 70% to 33%. But this year the numbers are even worse. I have only seen one of the nine nominates films this year. Appalling. Here’s the one I did see.
ARGO – This movie was awesome. Did they Hollywoodize the story a bit? Sure. Because it’s a Hollywood movie. That’s what they do. Don’t think that Zero Dark Thirty didn’t do the same thing, because it did. But who cares?! You’ve got humor, drama, suspense, action, and a little bit of history. What’s not to love?! It might be the best film I’ve seen this year, but as I mentioned earlier, that’s not saying much.
And now on to the other eight films that I have just a few short weeks to see. If you need me, I’ll be at the theater. Or the Redbox.
AMOUR – Well, I’m not sure about its shot at the top prize, but I think we can agree that its inclusion in this category pretty much guarantees it as a lock to win best foreign film, for which it is also nominated. Mark your ballots now people!
BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD – I must confess, I know absolutely nothing about this film. At all. But reading the IMDB description of it, it sounds kind of cool. Melting ice caps that unleash ancient aurochs? I’m so there.
DJANGO UNCHAINED – Oh Quentin Tarantino, why must you always force me to see your uncomfortable and overly violent films by getting them nominated for academy awards? I always leave the theater feeling a little queasy, but overall I do enjoy them. I probably wouldn’t have sought this ought if not for the nomination, but now I guess I will. But maybe not with my wife. She’s not so big on the unrestrained gratuitous violence.
LES MISERABLES – I have already reviewed this film, despite having not seen it, so you can check out my thoughts on it here. Except change the ending of that post to: “I will definitely see it because it has been nominated for Best Picture.”
LIFE OF PI – I loved the book, and I am excited about the movie. Ang Lee is hit or miss with me, but this looks like a successful adaptation of a seemingly unadaptable book. Can’t wait.
LINCOLN – Another historical drama? I assume this is a lot like Argo, but less funny. And everybody knows how this one ends. Spoiler Alert! He ends up on the penny.
SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK – Hey look! A movie filled with people that I like by a director who has made some films that I have really enjoyed! Guess I’ll go see it, even though I don’t know that much about it, other than hearing some Oscar buzz for it.
ZERO DARK THIRTY – To me, this seems like the one on the list that I won’t see. It’s like The Hurt Locker all over again. Don’t get me wrong, The Hurt Locker was a good movie, I just hated it is all. Not my kind of thing. This looks to be more of the same unbearable excellence, so I will skip it unless it eventually wins the top prize.
In conclusion, I have no idea yet if this was a good year for film, but I can say with much pride that I have seen 60% of the Best ANIMATED Feature nominees, so booyah. Once I see a few more of these other ones, I’ll let you know in more detail how the current crop truly holds up. But in a year with the oldest AND youngest best actress nominees in history, one thing’s for sure; it’s going to be interesting.