Oscar Update

I mentioned in a previous post about how I intended to watch all of the Academy Award Best Picture winning movies. Now that I have marked a few off of the list, I thought I’d offer a few of my thoughts.

I try to average at least one film a week. When I started this project, I had already seen a few of the films, so I won’t comment on those at this point.

But in regards to the recent ones I’ve seen, my favorite thus far is Casablanca. I know, everyone says that – atleast anyone who has actually seen the movie – and I think that is because it really is that good. I can’t believe I had never seen it before. Brilliant acting. Great story. I loved how the characters weren’t so obvious. They didn’t verbally explain every single emotion they were feeling, which ultimately allowed the film to maintain this sort of mystery…but not the same kind of mystery that current films produce with their surprise twists or unexpected endings – this was more a sense of mystery in the motives and thoughts of the characters. It was really beautiful. I am not one to ever want to watch a movie more than once…but this one, yes definitely!

Let me follow that up with my least favorite so far: Hurt Locker. Not really all that impressed. I didn’t think the story was all that unique and none of the characters were all that endearing. What I mean by that is I didn’t care if they lived or died. I understand the film’s pertinence to the world we live in, and how it portrayed the type of warfare our military encounters today, but compared to other great war films, I just didn’t think it measured up.

No Country For Old Men – OMG! Wow! I had only ever seen Javier Bardem as the sweet, adorable Felipe in Eat, Pray, Love (which is weird since he played this role first). But yeah, not so sweet and adorable in this movie! He is CRAZY and I am now officially scared to death of him! Ha! His character actually reminded me of something Stephen King would have written into The Stand. In fact, if they ever redo The Stand as a movie, he should definitely play Randall Flagg. Brilliant portrayal of a madman. The other thing I liked about this film was that I sorta felt like I knew where the plot was going, but then it didn’t go there AT ALL (from what I hear, that is typical of the Coen brothers). But loved this one. Dark and violent and disturbing, but great film.

Kramer vs Kramer – Not too bad. Since this is a late 70’s film, I assume the whole divorce/child custody thing was a new issue to address in film. But what most impressed me about this film though, was not the story, but the acting. It reminded me of how much I love Meryl Streep. I first noticed her amazing acting skill in Sophie’s Choice and have since been amazed by her ability to communicate emotion without saying a word. Especially in roles where she experiences some sort of gut-wrenching heartache – you can see that pain etched on her face….it’s even in her eyes…it’s amazing….but she doesn’t come off as fake and trying too hard – she is just THAT good at acting. She and Kate Winslet are similar in that regard I think. I respect them both.

King’s Speech – I think given the material of the film, it was very well done. Most of the time, I have to be in the mood for period films or I don’t enjoy them…and this one was no different. So I kinda felt uninvested while watching it, but I was still able to appreciate it. Wasn’t the worst or the best. Just kinda in the middle. It has its merits.

Driving Miss Daisy. I liked this one. A lot. It kinda flowed like a stage play, and the acting was very similar to something you would expect from a play. It kinda reminded my of Steel Magnolias for some reason – not sure why since the storylines are absolutely nothing alike. But anyway, I enjoyed the evolution of the characters. Hoke was so endearing and charming and Miss Daisy, although stubborn and set in her ways, still had such a tender heart. It was a beautiful picture of how love, respect and friendship can bridge both racial and economic barriers. The final scene was so endearing – not overdone and cheesy. And Tommy always does a great Hoke impression when I ask him to do something around the house: “Yes’m, Miss Daisy. Hoke’ll get right on dat.” :)

The English Patient – This movie was way longer than I thought it was going to be. I had the opposite reaction with this one as I did with Javier in NCFOM because I have always associated Ralph Fiennes with madman characters. The first movie I remember seeing him in was Red Dragon and he was so creepy, that it kinda stuck. I couldn’t see him as anything else. Of course, that is why he made the perfect Voldemort, but I could never see him in a romantic role. Like that chickflik he played in with Jennifer Lopez a few years ago where she was the maid and he was the rich dude – I couldn’t relate because in my mind he was too creepy to be romantic. But this was the first film where I kinda saw him as sexy. I didn’t overall think the film or the acting was that phenomenal though. I have discovered recently that I get tired of films that glamorize infidelity. But I was able to see Ralph Fiennes in a new light, so I guess that accomplished something.

That's all for now. Next up in the queue is Gone With the Wind, Lawrence of Arabia, and maybe some of the musicals: Sound of Music, My Fair Lady, West Side Story....we'll see. I like to mix it up.