Though the curtains have fallen on the Oscar season, I’m posting about the other nominated (and winning) movies that I watched. I was busy during the weekend and full of anticipation. Happily, I was properly sated and am still grinning about the beautiful ceremony and the time spent with close friends. (More on that later!)
Slumdog Millionaire (****)
This was the second best picture nominee that I saw, and I liked it immediately. It is hard for me to watch children in movies suffer so there were a few scenes that made me squeamish and produced this overwhelming desire to run to the nearest adoption agency and ask for the Jolie Special. The entire film was intriguing and engaging.
Iron Man (***)
See, I like superheroes that are fun and exciting to watch. Robert Downey Jr. was perfect as the playboy turned superhero. Though infused with a bit of social commentary on terrorism and the effects of war, the film never lost its entertainment value. Also, you have to dig Jeff Bridges’s facial hair.
In Bruges (****)
This was the funniest movie of last year, possibly of the decade and/or recent memory. It had the savage wit of a Tarantino film without the attention deficit disorder. It made me want to vacation in Bruges – without the guns or the mob contacts.
The Reader (****)
The story is so moving and subtle, and all the acting is brilliant. I’ve been a fan of director Stephen Daldry ever since he directed The Hours, and he created such a haunting mood for this film. Kate Winslet was beautiful as always and gave a complex performance that had me in tears.
Bolt (***)
After I finished watching Bolt, I thought, “That was a charming, competent film, and I don’t have to defend seeing it to friends and family.” Then I remembered that it was a recent Disney film and was shocked.
Milk (***1/2)
Though I found it the most conventional movie of the bunch, I really liked Milk which is about Harvey Milk who I had learned of during those weeks of copious Internet research after I realized I was gay. Sean Penn was amazing as was Josh Brolin. My one complaint is that Victor Gabor was underused, but I suppose I should be thankful that he was in the movie at all.
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (****)
While Revolutionary Road was the most disappointing movie of the year, this film was definitely that most surprising. Coupling my intense hatred for Forrest Gump with a big review from Roger Ebert, I was sure that this would be one of those films that I sat through, reminding myself that the Academy wasn’t a bunch of pushover hacks. However, this is my favorite of the best picture nominees.
Changeling (***1/2)
Clint Eastwood does moody very well. The action oscillates between stately to grisly. I was reminded how good Angelina Jolie really is. Her portrayal of a pained woman saddled with an ersatz child by a malicious police department could have been over the top, but she It left me feeling how fragile life is, how easily others can destroy it.
2 comments:
To make up (though not to apologize, I'm not that evolved) for my passionate dissention on some of your previous reviews, I would like to say that I completely agree with your comments on all these films (except Bolt which I haven't seen, and I'm sure I'll agree once I've seen it). Your description of In Bruges as a competent Tarantino film makes me very happy, as does "the Jolie Special." I would also like to remind you that Victor Garbor is still not related to the Gabor sisters (much as I know you'd enjoy that) and to demand to know whether "ersatz" was actually the first word you thought of. If so, I'm not sure you're the sort of person I should be talking to.
I knew I should have looked up Victor Garbor's name. Also, I did think of ersatz but only because of "A Series of Unfortunate Events."
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