We've seen ALL NINE of the nominees for Best Picture. PHEW. It was a beautiful and stressful time. We traveled some distance to see them all, but it was worth it. What I have experienced over all nine movies is struggle, is growth, is human. Hollywood, I'm super impressed. I can't think of a better list to round out the best of the year.
So, in my last post, we still had three to go! Let's review!
PHILOMENA
ONE SENTENCE PLOT: A woman reveals after 50 years that she had given birth in a convent when she was younger and teams up with a cranky journalist to try and find her lost baby.
This was a very sweet movie that leaves you with a very depressing taste in your mouth. Some parts were very funny, other parts were innocent, other parts made you angry, other parts made you cry. It was the whole range, here. It was pretty much the classic story of two very different people put together in an extreme circumstance and the evolution of the two of them working towards a common goal. In this case the common goal was trying to find Philomena's lost baby, who was taken away from her when he was very little.
You see, Philomena grew up in Ireland and wound up pregnant. She was sent to live in a convent where her baby was born, then put up for adoption and she could do nothing about it. It's a true story! So finally after all these years, she goes on a mission to try and find her son. And this journalist, Martin, has recently been fired from a very well-off job and is trying to get back in the swing of things... so he decides he wants to do a human interest piece, and the two set off together. Really beautiful story. Very well done. Very enjoyable to watch, also very enjoyable to discuss afterwards. It gets you talking about religion, morals, family, etc, and you get a glimpse into this woman's life that has been so painful for her, and in time, also becomes painful for you.
After seeing this movie you'll have a pretty serious discussion on forgiveness and acceptance. It will be very moving. And in time, we will all have to determine whether or not we're a "Martin" or a "Philomena." I'm a Martin. Ben's a Philomena. Watch it to figure that one out.
12 YEARS A SLAVE
So. I did not want to see this one.
ONE SENTENCE PLOT: Soloman, a free, well-off, family man living in 1840's Saratoga, NY, is drugged, kidnapped, sold into slavery and is not free again for 12 years.
Okay. Where do I begin? I think this movie is going to do real well at the Oscars. It definitely has a shot at Best Picture. But, I knew it was going to do well before I even saw it.
Did I mention this is also a true story? Soloman's book, '12 Years A Slave,' was published in 1853. I find this absolutely incredible. I LOVE this fact. I love it. I guess I just feel like so many movies are based on books that were written like, 10 years ago. It's not like, "oh this was a bestseller, now let's make it into a movie," type deal. It's like, someone read this book, thought, "wow, what an amazing story... this would make a good screenplay," and went from there. Nicely done, folks.
Having said that... I have never considered walking out of a movie theater before, until I was sitting watching 12 Years A Slave. "Watching," is a loose term here, as I had to turn my head away many times. Not even just close my eyes, but physically turn my head away.
Also, crying. I think the last time I cried so hard during a movie was Dancer in the Dark. It was one of those, 'I don't think I'm ever going to stop crying' movies. And not just once, not just at the end, or in the middle, but EVERYWHERE. I think three separate times during the movie, on the way home, and at least once about an hour after it was finished. It was just SHAMEFUL. It HURT to watch this movie. It hurt to watch the brutal violation of every human right over and over and over. It wasn't even the violence, it wasn't even that graphic, it was the treatment. I could not stand watching humans being treated so wrongly. SO WRONG. What a hard slap in the face, humanity, for allowing this to go on. Embarrassing, America, real embarrassing.
If you plan on seeing 12 Years A Slave, please know this it is not a movie to see for entertainment. There is nothing light about this movie. And still, the fight for civil rights and equality would continue for over 100 years after this movie ends. Heck, the fight is still going on.
Also, viewers tip: After the movie ended the whole audience just sat. It was as though no one could fully process what we had just seen. Everyone just sat. For awhile. It probably took a good two hours after the movie ended to feel like I had transitioned back into real life. Probably a good two hours. Good thing we caught the 6:30p show and not the 9p, because I probably wouldn't have been able to sleep that night. Don't expect to be okay after watching this.
That being said... let's talk about THIS LADY:
This lady is Lupita Nyong'o and not only is she nominated for Best Supporting Actress for 12 Years A Slave, but SHE... is a Hampshire grad!!! Kerianne informed me IN THIS VERY BLOG of her status as a Hampshire alum and I was in awe. I had ALREADY been in awe of her every time I have seen her in an awards dress, such as this one pictured above. Um, this is pretty much the EXACT dress I would pick out if it were on the rack in front of me. Of course, they don't put dresses like this on a rack.
And, not only is she a Hampshire alum, but she was there when I was there! She was the year above me! DAT SHIT CRAY! I mean, right? That link takes you to the Hampshire page congratulating her on her nomination! And there's a pretty kick-ass video where she talks about her time at Hampshire! It's SO COOL. Oh, I think it's so cool. I love Hampshire and I love everyone who went there. I will TOTALLY be rooting for her on Sunday night!
:)
THE WOLF OF WALL STREET
(I made this photo the biggest size because.. well.... ahem... no reason I guess.... hehe.)
ONE SENTENCE PLOT: New-to-the-game stockbroker Jordan works his way from the very bottom to the very top, but not without scandals, swindling, sex, and lots and lots of illegal substances.
I'm not sure if this will be categorized "a drug movie," but.. it's got a PRETTY GOOD shot. If you're not thinking at least three times during this movie, "man, how are these guys still alive?" then something is wrong.
First of all, this is a three-hour movie, so once you're in, you're IN. It's fast, it's loose, it's intoxicating, it's LEO. OOOOOHHHHHHH LEO. If we didn't already know how good he looks in suits, we do now. And, what a great performance. I don't know why I was feeling surprised at how well the acting was, considering it's Leo... I guess I was just kind of assuming it was a role that anyone could have played. An "American Hustle J-Law" type role.. but it wasn't. Ben put it real well when he said something like, "the character grows so much over the movie, and probably a lot of actors would have played it all in separate parts, but Leo made him grow while still keeping all the other parts." And I was like, ".... YEP."
And this - ALSO based on a true story! Crazy! We've been learning all sorts of stuff about real people without having to read books! :) ha, JK.
It was a crazy movie. It was a bro movie. Leo and the Bros. Alternate title. But for real, things were happening and they were just insane. There was so much money being thrown around everywhere. These bros were LAVISH. They treated themselves and did not feel bad about it. They broke the law, they broke people's trust, they cheated on their wives, they were high in front of their children and they did not feel bad about it.
The writing was phenom. There were some pretty long, dialogue heavy scenes that did not feel long and dialogue heavy because it just felt like you were watching normal people talk to each other. I suppose that speaks to the writing and the acting. I would say it has a GREAT chance at Best Adapted Screenplay.
Yeah, great movie. I think we all enjoyed it. I just can't wrap my head around Leo winning an Oscar. It seems too good to be true and the Academy as let me down OH so many times.
We'll just have to wait and see! (Go Leo!)
Alright, we've seen all the movies, now let's just wait for the show. I'm very excited, very nervous and I really feel that with all these movies, it's anyone's game. Yeah, pretty much anyone's. All the movies were just spectacular and I really enjoyed watching them all. I would definitely recommend in future years that everyone see all the nominated films. I feel like I'm going into the Oscars with a much better handle on things than in years past. And, not only have we seen all the Best Picture nominees, but in those lies the Best Actor nominees. I think that's pretty cool.
Now, all we gotta do is wait for Sunday night!!!! Tune in! I won't be live-blogging or anything (although that's a good idea for the future!), but we'll all be there in spirit. And I'll prob do a recap post, although possibly not as complex as in years past. Those posts would LITERALLY take me a whole day.
So, take care, lovelies! Enjoy the Oscars! Go out this weekend and see any last minute shows!! Go rent Dallas Buyers Club next week when it comes out on video! Rent Captain Phillips this weekend! I hear Gravity is OnDemand! Educate yourselves on the best films of the year. You'll find yourself transported by every scene, empathetic to every character and enriched by every story. This year is not to be missed.
Enjoy!
<3,
Captain Julie
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