Oscar nomination were just released yesterday and that might be the kick in the pants I need. There are a lot of nominations that made my eyes roll and breathe sighs of disbelief about some of the movies I would "have to watch", but also a little relief that I was in better shape that I originally thought. So, with one month to go, let's get moving.
12/28/2018 Vice, Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Best Original Screenplay, Best Film Editing, Best Makeup and Hairstyling, 2018
Every time someone asks my opinion of Vice starring Christian Bale as former Vice-President Dick Cheney, I hem and haw, I pause, and then I say, I liked it, it was good, Bale was great, but I couldn't wait until it was over. I tried explaining this to my brother, who saw it with me, and I think it was because I lived through most of what the movie portrayed, and I didn't like it when it was happening, and I liked it less watching it. Adam McKay wrote and directed, and he was behind The Big Short, another movie snatched my life experience (I had mixed feelings about that film as well). The film follows history, to a degree, with commentary from an unknown narrator, showing Cheney going from a drunk to a White House intern and then moving up in the Republican machinery. Cheney's wife Lynne (Amy Adams) is portrayed to be as ruthless as Cheney himself. Sam Rockwell is George W. Bush and Steve Carell is Donald Rumsfeld. This isn't a documentary, so there is obviously some artistic license taken, but if the scenes depicting what followed after 9/11 are even close to true, it seems that Vice-President Cheney was flying pretty close to the sun, claiming privileges and powers to which he had no right. I'm pretty much on the left of the political spectrum, but even I felt like I was being hit over the head with McKay's agenda. As for all of the nominations, Christian Bale disappeared in his portrayal of Cheney, and he captured so many of Cheney's mannerisms and speech patterns, he deserved his nomination. The makeup, which really transformed Bale, is nomination worthy, for sure. The other nominations? Well, I'm not so sure.
12/31/2018 Christopher Robin, nominated Best Visual Effects, 2018
Ewan McGregor plays a grown up and uptight Christopher Robin, who has long forgotten his playmates from the Thousand Acre Wood. Of course, grown up Christopher Robin has lived through combat in World War II, getting married, having a child, and a very adult job, with stress and budgets and managers. No wonder he's miserable. Lucky for him he has friends like Winnie the Pooh, Tigger and the rest of the gang, to remind him what it's like to be whimsical and driven by your imagination instead of deadlines. Pooh and Company are animated, and Jim Cummings, who has been the voice of Pooh and Tigger for many years, makes it all so wonderfully familiar. The animation isn't the cartoon animation that we've seen in Winnie the Pooh movies, but it's like the stuffed animals have come to life. A friend mentioned to me that's why she didn't want to watch it, but I didn't mind it, I actually enjoyed it. The movie has some of the familiar songs, including "The Wonderful Thing About Tiggers", plus a few new ones. I watched the movie because clearly I had nothing going on New Year's Eve, but also, someone told me they really liked it. Who knew it would be nominated? I would be surprised if it won considering some of the other nominees, including Avengers: Infinity War.
12/28/2018 Vice, Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Best Original Screenplay, Best Film Editing, Best Makeup and Hairstyling, 2018
Every time someone asks my opinion of Vice starring Christian Bale as former Vice-President Dick Cheney, I hem and haw, I pause, and then I say, I liked it, it was good, Bale was great, but I couldn't wait until it was over. I tried explaining this to my brother, who saw it with me, and I think it was because I lived through most of what the movie portrayed, and I didn't like it when it was happening, and I liked it less watching it. Adam McKay wrote and directed, and he was behind The Big Short, another movie snatched my life experience (I had mixed feelings about that film as well). The film follows history, to a degree, with commentary from an unknown narrator, showing Cheney going from a drunk to a White House intern and then moving up in the Republican machinery. Cheney's wife Lynne (Amy Adams) is portrayed to be as ruthless as Cheney himself. Sam Rockwell is George W. Bush and Steve Carell is Donald Rumsfeld. This isn't a documentary, so there is obviously some artistic license taken, but if the scenes depicting what followed after 9/11 are even close to true, it seems that Vice-President Cheney was flying pretty close to the sun, claiming privileges and powers to which he had no right. I'm pretty much on the left of the political spectrum, but even I felt like I was being hit over the head with McKay's agenda. As for all of the nominations, Christian Bale disappeared in his portrayal of Cheney, and he captured so many of Cheney's mannerisms and speech patterns, he deserved his nomination. The makeup, which really transformed Bale, is nomination worthy, for sure. The other nominations? Well, I'm not so sure.
12/31/2018 Christopher Robin, nominated Best Visual Effects, 2018
Ewan McGregor plays a grown up and uptight Christopher Robin, who has long forgotten his playmates from the Thousand Acre Wood. Of course, grown up Christopher Robin has lived through combat in World War II, getting married, having a child, and a very adult job, with stress and budgets and managers. No wonder he's miserable. Lucky for him he has friends like Winnie the Pooh, Tigger and the rest of the gang, to remind him what it's like to be whimsical and driven by your imagination instead of deadlines. Pooh and Company are animated, and Jim Cummings, who has been the voice of Pooh and Tigger for many years, makes it all so wonderfully familiar. The animation isn't the cartoon animation that we've seen in Winnie the Pooh movies, but it's like the stuffed animals have come to life. A friend mentioned to me that's why she didn't want to watch it, but I didn't mind it, I actually enjoyed it. The movie has some of the familiar songs, including "The Wonderful Thing About Tiggers", plus a few new ones. I watched the movie because clearly I had nothing going on New Year's Eve, but also, someone told me they really liked it. Who knew it would be nominated? I would be surprised if it won considering some of the other nominees, including Avengers: Infinity War.
