The Oscars

As written in one of my earlier posts, I had a goal of seeing every movie nominated for best picture this year.  While I definitely didn’t make that happen, I did manage to see five out of the nine, with encouragement from my friend Nader.  While I’m watching the Oscar pre-show, I have decided to write my opinions on what should win this year for yall. J

First, let me fess up that I didn’t see Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close, The Tree of Life, War Horse or Midnight in Paris.  The first three I didn’t really have a desire to see and I just ran out of time to see Midnight in Paris.  However, Midnight in Paris is definitely on my Netflix queue, and from what I hear, this movie would have made it pretty high on my Oscars list…

So on to the movies I did see: The Artist, The Descendants, The Help, Hugo and Moneyball.  I really enjoyed each of these movies, all for various reasons.  If I were in the Academy, here would be my votes:

5. Moneyball

Despite that I’m putting this movie in last place, I really really enjoyed it.  I wasn’t familiar at all with this story but I immediately googled Brad Pitt’s character as soon as I left the theater.  The story was heartwarming and I thought both Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill did a fantastic job.

4. The Artist

This movie has received high reviews since it opened and I completely understand why.  This was the first silent movie I had seen and honestly, I liked it a lot more than I thought I would.  It held my attention the entire movie and I really felt for the characters.  I think the silence actually helped me stay engaged in the movie as it required me to pay close attention to the film, even reading the actors lips at times.

3. The Help

This was the story I already loved.  I literally could not put this book down when I read it about a year ago.  I always worry that I won’t like the movie interpretation of books that I love, but I was pleasantly surprised by The Help.  While this movie may not have my vote for best picture, Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer certainly have my vote for best leading and supporting actresses.

2. The Descendants

The call between spot number 2 and 3 was a tough call.  However, the reason I went with The Descendants over The Help was the family dynamics in this movie.  I thought George Clooney and his daughters in this movie demonstrated an incredibly moving performance of a family caught in the middle of betrayal and heartache.  Watching this family put their lives back together in the midst of crisis was touching. And the beautiful Hawaiian scenery helped.  J

1. Hugo

Hands down, this would be my choice for best film of the year.  This was the last movie of the five that I saw and it was simply amazing.  As cliché as it sounds, I laughed, cried, and wanted to watch the movie again as soon as it ended.  I wanted to adopt Hugo, encourage Isabel and save George Melies.  Upon learning the truth of the story about George Melies, I loved this movie even more.

So there are my thoughts.  We will see if the Academy shares my views tonight...