Movies I have seen lately

In order to make my Oscar predictions accurately and effectively I am trying to see any movie that will likely be nominated in the next few weeks. Already, thanks to a vacation from work and no real social life, I have seen the following films:

Doubt
Seven Pounds
Marley and Me
Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Reader
Milk

Now, with my wealth of cinema knowledge gained from taking Cinema Production 1 in college (and watching a lot of movies), I will give you my critical assessment of each of these films.


DOUBT
“When you take a step to address wrongdoing you are taking a step away from God. But in his service.”



We’ll start with Doubt, an adaptation from a play about a nun at a Catholic School who suspects the priest there of taking advantage of a young male student. I must say that the acting in this film is stellar, Meryl Streep is very tough as the persistent head nun at the school, yet shows a vulnerability that her character is trying so hard to suppress. Phillip Seymour Hoffman plays the role of friendly, yet pretty creepy long-fingernailed priest very believably, and causes us to really doubt the harsh accusations of Streep’s nun. Amy Adams rounds out the core of main players as a young nun, caught in the middle of this conflict between two very strong characters. Her character’s struggle to cope with the consequences of taking either side in the argument is played so wonderfully by Adams with an innocence that perfectly juxtaposes Streep and Hoffman.

I enjoyed the film, although it did leave me a little unsatisfied, not by any of the performances, rather the plot. Though the name of the movie is Doubt, and we are expected to never have all details be fully disclosed to the viewer, the ambiguity of the story left something to be desired for me. It did spark conversation from a lot of people leaving the theater, yet for me endless possibilities are frustrating.

Possible nominations: Meryl Streep will definitely get a Best Actress nod, Hoffman may also get nominated. Viola Davis, who plays the mother of the boy who has a possibly inappropriate relationship with Hoffman’s priest, will probably walk away with a Best Supporting Actress nomination as well. Her powerful performance of a mother just trying to do what’s best for her son in the face of adversity of all sorts is memorable enough to catch the eye of any critic (even if the snot running down her face while she cries was really distracting to me).

The Marci-Meter

3.5 out of 5


SEVEN POUNDS
“I did something really bad once and I'm never gonna be the same.”

Oh man this movie was bad…People were leaving the theatre. Like several groups of people left the theater. In a recession. After they had spent $10 on each ticket. That tells you something. Will Smith is a great man and actor, and the last 20 minutes of this film are kind of cool (probably because you finally realize what the hell was going on for the previous 80 minutes), but it takes so long to get there that we are tired and don’t care anymore.

It’s not all bad and the plot had potential to be interesting, but the story drags on and it’s just not enough to hold the attention of the average moviegoer.

Possible nominations:
…

The Marci-Meter

1 out of 5



MARLEY AND ME
“He's just like a little kid, except you know, furrier.”

Oh man, this movie was great. I went to see it on Christmas with my mom and dad and we all LOVED IT. Probably because we have a similarly destructive dog (see banner above) so we could relate to most of the chaos happening onscreen. In fact, anyone who has ever had a dog will love this film. Some boys I talked to did not like the film because it made them cry. Here’s a newsflash – it makes everyone cry. It would make Chuck Norris cry.

Anyways, Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston play a believable couple journeying through early married life and starting their official family with the adoption of a lovable pup, Marley. I mean I don’t want to give too much away but the movie makes you laugh, cry and everything in between, all while munching happily on popcorn.

If you want to go to a movie that does not force you to think critically about a controversial social issue, the meaning of life, or makes you leave wondering what really happened behind closed doors, dish out the dough and see Marley and Me. You won’t regret it!

*Disclaimer: Non-dog lovers may find this movie irritating and dumb.

The Marci-Meter

4 out of 5

Possible nominations:
This one isn’t really an Oscar favorite…but it’s still good!


THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
“My name is Benjamin Button, and I was born under unusual circumstances. While, everyone else was agin', I was gettin' younger...”

Everyone talks about how long this movie is and blah blah blah… I think they should all shut up about it! I didn’t think that it dragged, and I am known to be fidgety in movies that bore. The movie is interesting enough to keep viewers engaged as we watch Brad Pitt age backwards and meet Cate Blanchett’s character in the middle of their lives. The tragedy of the situation is heartbreaking, and the film really makes you look at the fragility of life, lived aging either backwards or forwards.

The special effects are especially engaging as it was so amazing that we could Pitt’s features evident in his character’s face as he journeys from the body of an 80 year old man to a small boy. I read an article about how the fact that we’ve seen Pitt age from a young star into the man he is today makes it that much more impactful when we see Benjamin Button morph into a man in his young 20s, because it’s a face we’ve seen before. It really hits home on its themes of the fleetingness of both life and love.

I also really enjoyed the cinematography of this movie. It was shot beautifully; with a consistent tone that was subdued yet beautiful. It’s really emphasized if you look through still shots of the film like these for example:



Anyways, I thought this movie was well made and enjoyable. Definitely up for some nominations.

Possible Nominations: Pitt will get a Best Actor Nod, Blanchett may or may not get recognition for her role of Daisy, which I believe she played wonderfully, Fincher will get a nomination for his I think brilliant direction of this film, and Taraji P. Henson will most likely get a nom for her role as Benjamin’s generous, loving caregiver. This film is also a definite runner for best picture in my book.

The Marci-Meter:

4 out of 5


THE READER
“It doesn’t matter what I think. It doesn’t matter what I feel. The dead are still dead.”

Wow. Take a great performance by Kate Winslet, add it to a moving and thought-provoking story about love, human nature, and the controversy of a world trying to cope with the atrocities of the Holocaust, and you get a wonderful film. I was pretty blown away by The Reader, and even though it had a depressing premise, I was very moved by it.

It makes you think but not in the same way that Doubt does. Not in a way where you can think and think and never know what’s really happened. But rather it makes you think in a way where we do know exactly what has happened and now we have to try to come to terms with it individually as well as culturally.

I feel like this movie is more powerful if you go into viewing it without preconceived notions or a real sense for the plot of the movie, so I am not going to dive into the details here. But to me, this film was thought-provoking, smart, and filled with powerful performances.

Possible Nominations: Kate Winslet really should be nominated for best supporting actress, but I’m not sure if this movie will get any other nominations.

The Marci-Meter:

4 out of 5


MILK
“All men are created equal. No matter how hard you try, you can never erase those words.”



This movie tells the story of Harvey Milk, the first openly gay man to serve in public office, and I found it to be a very well acted film and inspiring. Maybe because I saw it after seeing movies for three straight days, but I also thought it dragged just a bit. But the acting was quite phenomenal, starting with Sean Penn’s portrayal of Milk. His mannerisms and overall aura were great, and the supporting cast worked brilliantly as well: Josh Brolin as fellow City Supervisor Dan White, James Franco as Milk’s first (and maybe true?) love, and Emile Hirsch as a passionate young gay activist were standouts.

For me, this movie told an exceptional story, but took a little bit too long to do so. The acting was amazing, and without the great performances I probably would have liked the film a lot less. But in all, the story itself is inspiring and captivating, making this film one that you really should see.

Possible Nominations:
This film will definitely get a best picture nod, and Sean Penn will be nominated for best actor. I also think Josh Brolin will get a nomination for best supporting actor.

The Marci-Meter

3.5 out of 5


So that wraps up the reviews of movies I have seen lately! I’ll leave you with a list of the ones I still have to catch before the Oscars…and you should too!

Gran Torino
Slumdog Millionaire
The Wrestler
Revolutionary Road
Frost/Nixon
Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Changeling
Rachel Getting Married
Defiance