Here are my (more than) two cents on Oscar-nominated movies and/or performances, in no particular order:
The Artist – Super cute and love the nostalgia and all that jazz (2os pun!), but a big chunk of me wonders how much of the excitement about this comes from the “novelty” of it being silent. I got slightly bored somewhere between the second and third act, but we can probably blame that on the tweeting/texting frenzy of a world we live in. Words are important, people. Regardless, it will most likely win. Everything.
The Descendants – I haven’t seen such a well done silver screen dramedy in who knows how long. My all-around favorite and this year’s winner of The Fighter Award. This award was inaugurated last year when I had no desire to see its namesake, but forced myself to see it in theaters due to the award season buzz and was so pleasantly surprised by everything about it. And even if she wasn’t nominated, Shailene Woodly is my honorary Melissa Leo this year.
Midnight In Paris – I saw this at about five in the afternoon in Spain, and consequently it was dubbed in Spanish. I think a re-watch is in order, because I liked it quite a bit, but I have a feeling it lost some things in translation — literally. Then again I doubt I’ll find Owen Wilson as charming in a movie as he was when his entire voice was absent.
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy – The calibur of acting? High. The level of confusing plot? Even higher. I had to read the Wikipedia plot synopsis the next day. And then explain it to Courtney.
The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo – I had such reservations about this considering I’d seen and enjoyed the original Swedish trilogy. However, this more polished, more stylized take did a better job editing the book and making it a more fluid and coherent story. So much so, I even got over the fact they were in Sweden… speaking English. Also, the next night it inspired me to re-watch The Social Network solely for Rooney Mara, who is for sure my favorite lucky-they-got-in-the-category-but-won’t-win nomination this year.
My Week With Marilyn – Worth it just to see Michelle’s, not performance, but embodiment of a woman every man loves. (Get it? Like the Marilyn reading? Linguistics joke!)
Biggest snub: Michael Fassbender in Shame. Or X-Men: First Class even — I don’t care. That man deserves all the awards in the world. (But seriously, Shame was good.)
Left to see in theaters: Hugo. Everything else is labeled a big “pass.” Especially Albert Nobbs, based solely on the fact that I sat through that trailer no less than six times in the span of about two weeks while catching up on the other films on this list. I have nothing against Glenn Close (love you in Damages, homegirl), but I have a whole lot that damned Sinéad O’Connor song. Oh, dammit, now it’s stuck in my head again. Lay your head down, darlin’…
On the docket for this weekend’s viewing: Beginners, Moneyball and The Help. I’m excited for the MacGregor and Sorkin factors of the first two, but the third… I’m gonna need some help to muster up the energy to watch it. And by help, I mean wine.
