Movies, movies and more movies!

Woah! Turns out I've seen quite a few movies in the past couple of weeks! Blame Oscar season... so many promising movies out all at once (after months of only so-so fare), I'm afraid I'm binging! No sign of it stopping either, still got a few more to see before the "big" night! :p

Lincoln

Who knew legal shenanigans in Congress could be so interesting??? Having them done by such fantastic actors with great dialogue probably helps... Legal and political dialogue my dad would have found easier to follow had it been in English... The Gettysburg Address (very original way of including it in there!) definitely sounded weird in Spanish! I think pretty much everything there is to say about this movie has been said in a hundred different places (fabulous Spielberg, Oscar-worthy Daniel Day Lewis and Tommy Lee Jones and Sally Field, beautifully filmed etc.). I'll just add that I thought it was quite interesting that they chose to show a different theatre for the moment we all knew was coming! Tears were unavoidable. Definitely a MUST SEE!

Silver Linings Playbook

I don't quite know how to describe this movie... can't find the right words. Although a romantic comedy (so we know how it's going to end the moment it begins), it's sweet and quirky and simply feels "different"! It reminds me a lot of Benny and Joon (albeit less "innocent"), probably because both sets of lead characters are dealing with some form of mental illness. He's definitely a modern Pollyana! Anyhow, it feels very real. It's funny, sweet and sometimes surprisingly tense. The actors (Bradley Cooper, Robert de Niro and the fantastic Jennifer Lawrence) were amazing and the story is a lot of fun. Oh, and loved their dance routine! My verdict: Go see it!

Gangster Squad

A little break from the Oscar-heavy season for a little cops vs gangsters action. This one felt like it wanted to be a film noir, without quite succeeding. Based on the true tale of a group of cops (led by Josh Brolin) in the 1930s in Los Angeles who confront a mob boss (fantastic Sean Penn!) guerilla style, taking on various aspects of his operation quite violently. All done anonymously to protect themselves from the mob and corrupt cops and politicians whose pockets have been greased. Very intense, dark and violent. Good acting, but very predictable story and just not worth the whole deal of heading out to the cinema. Better wait to rent the dvd...
Side note: anyone remember when Josh Brolin was a Goonie?! Lifetime ago!!! He's unrecognisable now... For some reason that thought got stuck in my head during the movie and was very distracting! :p

Beasts of the Southern Wild
Winner of last year's Sundance festival, this film is definitely unlike anything else you'll see up on the screen these days! It's brutally real in its portrayal of a small community that lives in the "Bathtub", an area of Louisiana bayou above the New Orleans levees shortly before Katrina. It's a whole different world, right on the doorstep of one of the US's most fascinating cities. Seen through the eyes of the adorable little Hushpuppy who's got a very vivid imagination. It's harsh and sad and lovely. Go see it, but you probably won't want to see it a second time.
Oscar trivia: young Quvenzhané Wallis is the youngest best actress nominee EVER! (she was 5 when she got the part)

Broken City
This looked more interesting than it turned out to be. I don't quite know how to say what was wrong... other than it lacked a certain "spark"! I was hoping for more with those amazing actors involved! (Mark Wahlberg, Russell Crowe, Catherine Zeta Jones, Kyle Chandler) *sigh* I guess the story of ex-cop turned private-eye and a corrupt politician (who hires the PI to spy on his wife) just doesn't inspire me anymore. Another one to wait for the dvd, if that.

I still need to catch Amour and I'll be done with the Best Picture nominees. Will definitely find the time before Sunday night! Was also thinking about watching Flight and The Master so I could check out the performances (acting nominations galore!)...But The Master came and went in the blink of an eye, and everything I hear about Flight says "great beginning but boring everything else" so I guess I'll pass.
I'll try and get some Oscar thoughts up before the big night on Sunday! I don't know how the voters were able to pick just one... I'd have a hell of a time choosing between some of the options!!!