my opinion matters

I love awards season, because it forces me to watch films I would never watch otherwise - and it turns out amazing because I get to see movies like Django Unchained , which is SO not my style but was absolutely great. Quentin Tarentino usually does, for lack of a betetr word, weird movies that I think are largely indulgent and appeal to an audience that... well I don't know who his audience is, but it isn't me. However, with this movie, he somehow made this western about slavery that was a comedy but a drama but also challenged your assumptions about what movie music should be like. The best word for it is innovative. Maybe some of the gambles turned out a little strange, like some of the music - but when there's a big shootout in a movie set before the Civil War and the music is hard rap, that's definitely something different but also something really cool. Overall, I think it worked - and a big part of that was the casting and the humor in the script. Speaking of ...

What a bizarre movie. Amazing, but bizarre. Basically, all that needs to be said is that it was Denzel Washington, and he is seriously incredible - and I'm thinking a lot of it has to do with film selection. He picks great scripts that highlight his strengths. And seeing Denzel Washington do cocaine and get completely drunk - and have it be believable - was great. The ending was... meh. It made me cry, but that's just because Denzel is great. I still cry at John Q. too, but they wrapped it up very quickly with too much morality at the end. I think I would have liked it better if he had lied at the end and blamed everything on the flight attendant. But, I suppose, it was all about how he was the last person to truly realize he needed help and blah blah blah. I'm just saying, it would have been cool to see a film with no moral at the end and see a guy get away with being completed wasted during a flight. The casting was great too - especially Don Cheadle and John Goodma...

While watching this film, I posted on Facebook that it was like 1865 West Wing . I stand by that statement. One rare and amazing thing about the film was the writing - it was poignant and mesmerizing without being overly convoluted. The costuming was brilliant but not over the top, and I like that it focused on the politics of the 13th amendment rather than specifically on Lincoln's life or the war. Overall, while I thought Daniel Day Lewis was great, he wasn't really a "lead actor" in my opinion. It was an ensemble cast, with Tommy Lee Jones shouldering most of the second half of the film. I am pleased he was nominated, and I hope he wins (so far). They are two actors that are very different (even though they both have three names) because Tommy Lee Jones always sort of seems like Tommy Lee Jones playing a part - whereas Daniel Day Lewis seemed like Lincoln. I believed it. It's a rare talent to make the viewers believe you really are the character you're play...

As usual, I have begun my yearly downloading-fest for Oscar season. The Globe nominations were just before Christmas, but I just started making my list today. I have already seen Lincoln and Flight , so those are two I can cross off my list. I will post probably a double review sometime today if I remember :). I am interested in Silver Linings Playbook and Argo and Zero Dark Thirty - mostly because of various reviews and actors.. I am not interested in Les Miserables and Life of Pi . If you are familiar with my movie tastes, I am not impressed with visual effects for the sake of visual effects, and I don't really like watching films that bum me out. I'm hoping Life of Pi is more like Castaway , except with a tiger instead of a volleyball. Anyway, keep checking back because I'll be watching and reviewing movies like crazy to get ready for the season!