I've Loved You So Long

This movie epitomizes drama. A deep, well played story that is slowly pieced together till you can completely understand and associate with the characters. Kristin Scott Thomas masterfully portrays Juliette, a women that comes to live with her estranged sister, Lea played by Elsa Zylberstein, after being released from a 15 year prison sentence for killing for 6 year old son. As the movie progresses, you see a warm caring, but deeply depressed woman. Throughout the movie, I could not see this woman was a brutal child murderer. As the story plays out, you learn more and more details, and the situation is made clear.

The movie is slow moving and at time depressing. However, I feel that this how the directed wanted you to feel. This feeling brings you closer to the Juliette and how she is actually feeling. It makes the movie more real for the audience.

Kristin Scott Thomas did receive a Golden Globe Nomination for this role, and I believe she deserved it. I also think she will receive an Oscar nod. Zylberstein was left off the Globe nomination list, but I think she could have a chance at a Supporting Oscar nomination.

Golden Globe Nominations

The Golden Globe nominations are the real start to Oscar season. This past week the Hollywood Foreign Press released their list of the best in movies and television for 2008. For me, the expected out weighed the surprises. Actually there were only 2 surprises, Australia got no nominations and Milk only got 1.

As for Australia, that was not really that big of a shock. I believe that it is going to be a more technical movie. Baz Lurhman is known for his showy, beautifully filmed movies. I believe Australia will do well come Oscar time in categories such as Cinematography and Art Direction. Milk, for which Sean Penn got an acting, did not get a nomination for movie or directing. This I feel is a huge surprise. Milk was well filmed with true historical accuracy. I am hoping that the Oscars are much more open to this film that the Hollywood Foreign Press has been.

Changeling

Real life story made into a movie. It is a movie makers dream. Clint Eastwood once again proves that he is an incredible director. The director that made me care about a boxer, created another heartfelt story. Christine Collins, perfectly played by Angelina Jolie, is a single mom living in LA during the 20s who came home from work only to find her son missing. The LAPD, known wfor their corruption, found who the thought to be her son. Collins knew this was not son and as determined to find him, not matter what the cost. Angelina, once again, proves her Hollywood star power and her amazing acting ability.

Burn After Reading

Ok! The Coen Brothers have done it again. They have a super-hyped movie, with star-studded cast and I became super jazzed with anticipation. Then I saw the movie, and I was left with a empty void of disappointment. Like No Country for Old Men, the acting was on point and believable, but that is the only redeeming quality of the film. Brad Pitt shined with comedic timing. The rest of cast, where ok. I thought the chemisty that Tilda Swinton and George Clooney had in Michael Clayton was not evident in this movie. Frances McDormant and John Malkovich, I guess, did a good job of working with what the characters had of a personality. My disappoinment stems from the fact that I did not care about any of the characters. I thought they were all horrible people, and got exactly what they deserved. There was not one point in the movie, where I was hoping for something good to happen. I just plain did not care and that translated into a big ole fat, "I do not care about this boring movie".

Oscar Season 2008

Ok everyone! I have been absent for some time. The blog is about to be started back to follow me through the next couple months and movies that are in contention for a 2008 Academy Award.

The Good Sheperd

The Good Shepherd is the movie about how one guy gives up his life and family to serve his country as a spy. Well, it is not really that simple, there are many extenuating circumstances that motivate this man, and ultimately determine who he becomes. In a huge surprise, the movie was actually pretty good. The acting was very convincing, and the story was interesting. There was one thing that was really bad. It was the make-up. Angelina Jolie's make-up was great. She aged appropriately, and well. Matt Damon, on the other hand, always looked the same age, which was very distracting. The story bounced back and forth from time period to time period, and it was hard to tell what year it was based on looking at Matt Damon. He looked the same whether he was in college or at his son's wedding.

I think Angelina did a wonderful job. She ranged from a wild and carefree, young adult to a bitter, mistreated mom with deep care for her son. She did this flawlessly. Very impressed with her portrayal of this complex character. Matt Damon was, well Matt Damon. He did a good job, and pretty convincing, but it seems that all his characters are interchangeable. Then there is the Man of The Year...Alec Bladwin. Could he be in any more movies? However, he does a good job, and he plays the part well.

There was one really bad acting moment. Eddie Redmayne, who plays the son on Matt Damon and Angelina Jolie's son, had an bad acting moment. When Matt breaks some bad news to him about his soon to be wife's life, he has a break down. It was one of the most painful acting scenes that I may have ever watched. It was not convincing at all!

As for the Academy Award Nomination for Art Direction, there were two distinct moments when I saw the reason behind this nod. There was a scene with a dress falling from the sky, and a paper being burnt by a candle. Very well done scenes. We will have to wait and see how much the Academy really likes those poignant scenes.

Highlights were Angelina's character and the moments of Art Direction.

Overall movie rating ***1/2

Jesus Camp

Oh my goodness. This is the most disturbing movie that I have seen in a very long time. I always knew that there were very religious people out there, that could not see past their views, but this is ridiculous. First of all, when we talk about religious extremists, we can not discount the Christian extremists. I truly believe that these people and the way they brainwash their children is just as bad if not worse than Islamic extremists and suicide bombers. I want to definitely mention that I am not against the religion aspect, just the extremism. There were two very heartbreaking things for me in this movie. The first being the fact that they use George Bush as a religious symbol. If this country continues to blur the lines between Church and State, we are not going to be the strong powerful country that our forefathers so masterfully planned out for us. Second, there was a girl that was talking about God, and how he did not visit all churches. Basically, she has been indoctrinated to believe that if you do not scream, shout, and speak in tongues then God has nothing to do with you. This inter religion bigotry is the worse. How can someone believe that because you do not pray in the same fashion, that God does not want to hear you. Through my religious teachings, it is my understanding that you should encourage people to speak to their Lord in any way they feel is appropriate.
Despite the controversy over the content of the movie, the movie was very well done. It was a great documentary. It just presented the facts. It actually let you form your own opinion. I hate movies that are so one-sided that they will do absurd things in order to prove a point. Which, I think, makes the point null and void.
Jesus Camp is nominated for Best Documentary, but it is not going to win. I feel very strongly that An Inconvenient Truth has the lock on this category. It was the most popularized, and it was also done very, very, well