All About Eve 5/26/2012 Best costume design, best writing, best supporting actor, best picture, best director, best sound
A true classic. Great performance by Bette Davis, Celeste Holm and Anne Baxter. I didn’t know what to expect, but it exceeded what I thought it would be. There is some overacting, but there are some nuances too. ‘Fasten your seatbelts, it’s going to be a bumpy night’ is an often-quoted line, so to hear it in its original context is refreshing.
Apollo 13 6/3/2012 Best film editing, best sound
You feel claustrophobic as the action takes place in the space capsule. Even if you know how it ends, it is still exciting. A reminder of the pioneering spirit of the space program.
Syriana 6/30/2012 Best Supporting Actor
Another movie I avoided because I am not a huge George Clooney fan (meaning I will not watch a movie only for George Clooney, but I have actually seen many of his films). The multiple story lines required more of my attention than I usually pay (multi-tasking is a personal flaw), but it was an entertaining political thriller. Matt Damon’s storyline seemed superfluous to me.
Sideways 7/1/2012 Best Adapted Screenplay
I liked it, I was prepared not to like it, but it’s a nice film, nothing overwhelming or in your face, no special effects, but a good story. I really like Paul Giammati and he rarely disappoints. I don’t drink wine, and maybe if I did, I would have watched this when it was first released. This probably could have been any road trip movie, the wine gave it a sense of place and allowed the main character to be an expert in something.
The Artist 7/4/2012 Best picture, best actor, best director
It was good, it was different, it was an interesting way to do a film. I still think Hugo was the best picture (my sentimental favorite was The Help). It paid homage to cinematic history similar to Hugo, but I didn’t care all that much for the characters.
‘Round Midnight 7/4/2012 Best Music, Original Score
I didn’t know if I would like this film or not, and it took me a little while to get into it, but overall, I really enjoyed it. It’s a somber film, not a lot of laughs, and sometimes the main character, Dale Turner, isn’t very likeable, but I really felt for this tortured soul. He finds a family and life with a great fan in Paris, and seems to understand the love Francis has for him. In the framework of the movie, I found I liked the be-bop/jazz music that was the whole basis for the film. I think my dad would have liked the movie and that made it more special. I haven’t seen ‘The Color of Money’ for which Paul Newman won the Oscar, but I believe that Dexter Gordon should have won it for this role. Highly recommended.
The Fog of War 7/7/2012 Best Documentary Feature
Documentary provides insight into the Kennedy and Johnson administrations and Robert McNamara, who seems to have a reputation as a war monger, but I got the feeling he was very anti-war, seeing it as a last resort.
Inside Job 7/7/2012 Best Documentary Feature
If you watch this and don’t get angry, you just aren’t paying attention. Being part of the mortgage industry during this collapse/colossal rip off just made it more painful to watch. The fact that nobody was charged with fraud, conspiracy or something is a crime.
Annie Hall 7/14/2012 Best director, best actress, best picture, best original screenplay
You wonder how Woody Allen functions with all of these bizarre thoughts in his head, but it’s because he makes movies like this. The classic ‘Annie Hall’ look is shown only briefly. I enjoyed the movie as part of understanding Allen’s later work. There are some very funny parts in it, and Allen has some great insights into the neuroses of relationships.
Atonement 7/14/2012 Best original score
A beautiful period piece with a surprise ending.
Days of Wine and Roses 7/14/2012 Best original song
Another movie that is cited in cultural references. I was expecting sugar-coating of alcoholism, but there was a sense of realism, a sense of despair as the characters succumbed to the siren of alcohol. Jack Lemmon was incredible and Lee Remick was beautifully tragic. I did not expect the movie to end the way it did, and I was ‘pleased’ that wasn’t tied up nicely in a bow.
The Defiant Ones 7/20/2012 Best Cinematography – B&W, Best Screenplay
I love Sidney Poitier, and have seen most of his landmark films. Finally watched this one and enjoyed it. Sometimes Tony Curtis annoys me, I can’t tell if it’s overacting or something else. I didn’t believe him as a Southern prisoner with his fake southern accent, but I got past that and just enjoyed the story. Some of it was predictable, you just knew they were going to develop some of kind of bond. There were some twists that kept it interesting, and I was rooting for them to make it to the train.
Star Trek (2009) 7/21/2012 Best Makeup
I have never watched any of the Star Trek movies all of the way through, and I only watched this because it was on the Oscar’s list. It wasn’t horrible, and there were some good effects and action. An interesting twist on the origin story of the Starship Enterprise and the relationship between Kirk and Spock. The villain, Nero, was horribly overacted and the change between speaking colloquial/familiar English and formal English was annoying. I found out it was Eric Bana after watching the movie and I thought, oh that makes sense I didn’t like him. Leonard Nimoy was a great touch and I liked the scenes with him the most, even though the time traveling stuff hurts my head.
The African Queen 7/21/2012 Best Actor
Good action sequences, going down the rapids, the fly scene (guaranteed to make you itch and swat at imaginary bugs), the unforgettable leeches scene – I remember watching the movie with my dad and him explaining the leeches. I’m glad I finally watched the whole movie, and now I don’t have to fixate on them anymore. I had to suspend disbelief to believe that a prim missionary (Katharine Hepburn) could fall for a guy like Charlie Allnutt. But, then you kind of do and just go with it. It is almost just a two person play except for the first 10 minutes with Rose’s missionary brother and the German soldiers at the end of the movie. The movie still holds up all these years later.
Inception 7/22/2012 Best Cinematography, Best Sound editing, Best sound mixing, best visual effects
My head hurts. You have to pay attention to this movie and even if you do that, you may want to watch it twice (and I think I will). Interesting concept about dreams and manipulating them, and going into a dream within a dream. The effects were stunning and keep you watching, but it is the story that is really interesting. I originally avoided this movie like the plague, not sure why, probably because I didn’t want my head to hurt, but it’s on the list, so, I watched it and am really glad I did. Just saw Christopher Nolan’s Dark Night Rises, so it was col to see Tom Hardy, Marion Cotillard and Joseph Leavitt-Gordon so soon after that. The irony (probably planned?) was the constant playing of Edith Piaf’s ‘Non, Je ne regret rien’; Cotillard played Piaf and won an Oscar.
East of Eden 7/22/2012 Best supporting actress
James Dean’s movie debut; another movie that is always referred to in cultural references, so I was glad to finally watch it. I wasn’t mesmerized by Dean’s performance although I was definitely interested in it, especially when I learned most of his performance was improvised. Jo Van Fleet, who played Aron and Cal’s mother, won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress. I would have liked to have seen more of her in the movie, I really liked her and thought she had a story to tell (Van Fleet played Arletta in ‘Cool Hand Luke’ another brilliant movie). I rated the movie 4 stars on Netflix and highly recommend it.
Babel 7/28/2012 Best original score
You have to give the movie time to unfold and for the pieces to come together. I wasn’t all that interested in the storyline with Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett, even though it contains the movie’s pivotal event. The Afghani family story humanized a group of people that have been in the American conscious or subconscious for over 10 years. The plotline involving the housekeeper/nanny, Amelia, was very intense and took a turn that I didn’t quite expect. The actress who played Amelia was outstanding; she lost out to Jennifer Hudson for Dreamgirls, but I think any of the nominees for this year would have been worthy recipients. I don’t think this was the greatest movie I have seen, but it certainly makes you think about how one small event can have huge ripple effects.
Almost Famous 8/11/12 Best original screenplay
I really liked the music from the movie, pulling from a great selection from the early 1970s. It was a nice coming of age story. I thought the whole story line of the relationship between William and his mother was annoying (and I love Frances McDormand, so that’s not it); it seemed more of a distraction than anything. Billy Crudup was good as the lead guitarist who seemingly didn’t want to buy into the hype of being a popular band. Personally, I liked that there was a scene set in Swingo’s which was a famous rock and roll hotel in Cleveland. Kate Hudson was enchanting as Penny Lane. There’s a scene in the movie where the band starts to sing along to ‘Tiny Dancer’ by Elton John. That may be one of my favorites. It seemed improvised, which I suppose was the point. It was a nice behind the scenes look at the music papers and magazines of that time (although it wasn’t too detailed). It was a good movie that really didn’t make me think too hard.
