by bpmford » Tue Feb 21, 2012 6:15 pm
Thanks for your list felipe! Interesting to see the perspective of someone else who has seen almost all of them.
I just saw two more yesterday, so here is my updated and expanded list with only Moneyball left to see:
1. Hugo: A brilliant movie that tells a warm story about the history of cinema! Not only did Hugo embrace that vintage cinema feel, but it combined it with modern technologies and stunning visuals; producing a beautiful piece of art. I am quite surprised there were no acting noms given to this one, especially for sir Ben Kingsley, who was brilliant! Another wonderful performance was that of Chloë Grace Moretz, whom I really liked in Kick-a$$, but definitely blossomed here, giving a performance that would rival most adults!
3. The Descendants: If it were just a drama about a family coping with a dying mother, then it wouldn't really get much notice here. However, it was far from that. I found Descendants to be a mix between Little Miss Sunshine, American Beauty and Juno. It is a movie about a entirely messed up family that has more problems than anyone really knows. But the way in witch this family copes with the situation, is entirely addicting to watch. It is one of those movies that, like the other three mentioned before, I could watch over and over, and still enjoy. And don't get me started on the acting! WOW!
3. The Help: Amazingly acted, beautifully written, and a great choice for the award. This movie is an adaptation of a novel, so my main props go to the talented crop of actresses in this one. I was especially impresses with Emma Stone who is still relatively new to the scene! I also found the story to be quite compelling, but unfortunately that praise doesn't go to the movie at all!
4. The Artist: Although I found the movie a little hard to keep up with (dialogue wise) at times (just the fault of not being very seasoned with silent movies), It did a great job at telling a story that was both interesting, and fitting to the movie itself place in modern film. My very reason for cutting it down before is reflected in the movie, and for that I really appreciated it. The movie also had an amazing acting crop, and some surprising and refreshing moments that made me smile! If it does win, I will understand why... But it still isn't my favourite!
5. Moneyball: A movie about Baseball that did an awesome job at not feeling like a movie about Baseball. Everyone loves the underdog story in movies, and this version was especially pleasant to watch. Brad Pitt did an awesome job, and the official breakout of Jonah Hill was a great one. I hope Jonah takes this as his opportunity to get away from laughable goofball roles and really makes himself a grade A actor. Great movie, great cast!
6. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close: Although I can understand how this movie might be incredibly hard to watch for those who were directly affected by 9/11, I am not sure why it has gotten the negative reviews it has. First of all, I was quite blown away by the performance of Thomas Horn, a young actor with a real gift! The whole movie, although quite sad, was really well done, and intensely real! Although the story was not a real one, you could just feel the pain that everyone who was affected by the attacks had to go through. And Max von Sydow, so deserving of the supporting actor nomination!
7. War Horse: A beautiful and inspiring movie that does a great job at showing genuine emotion. I notice the critics called this movie overly sappy, but I'm not quite sure how it can be less sappy. The whole premise of the story is an emotional story about a boy and his horse. However, as I watch more nominees, I find myself pushing this one down further. I think the five above it are far better movies simply for the reason that their stories are more compelling. But, I don't know if thats the fault of those that made War Horse, or just that its story is what it is, so the movie followed corse.
8. Midnight in Paris: Way better than I was anticipating, and a wonderful story, but still finds itself down low= on my list, because I think it will be one of those that many forget about or don't even bother to see. The movie was really good, but there were lots of really good movies this year that didn't make the list that I would have put on instead of this one. It was good, but not amazing!
9. Tree of Life: A very weird movie, and I don't know if weird belongs in dramas, but it was ok. I thought the performances of Pitt and Penn were quite good, but the movie did a terrible job at making the cast unimportant compared to the movie production. I think if it told a more down to earth story about this family and its struggles, then it would be better. However, it tried to turn the whole thing into a fantasy. I felt like I would enjoy the movie more if I had eaten some magical brownies first. I also found myself, and the others around me while watching, having to guess at what was going on. We were debating on what timeline the movie was on at any given point, and entirely confused most of the time. If the film had just focused on delivering the story, and less on delivering endless odd visuals about the creation of life, then maybe it would make more sense.
Thanks for your list felipe! Interesting to see the perspective of someone else who has seen almost all of them.
I just saw two more yesterday, so here is my updated and expanded list with only Moneyball left to see:
[b]1. Hugo:[/b] A brilliant movie that tells a warm story about the history of cinema! Not only did Hugo embrace that vintage cinema feel, but it combined it with modern technologies and stunning visuals; producing a beautiful piece of art. I am quite surprised there were no acting noms given to this one, especially for sir Ben Kingsley, who was brilliant! Another wonderful performance was that of Chloë Grace Moretz, whom I really liked in Kick-a$$, but definitely blossomed here, giving a performance that would rival most adults!
[b]3. The Descendants:[/b] If it were just a drama about a family coping with a dying mother, then it wouldn't really get much notice here. However, it was far from that. I found Descendants to be a mix between Little Miss Sunshine, American Beauty and Juno. It is a movie about a entirely messed up family that has more problems than anyone really knows. But the way in witch this family copes with the situation, is entirely addicting to watch. It is one of those movies that, like the other three mentioned before, I could watch over and over, and still enjoy. And don't get me started on the acting! WOW!
[b]3. The Help:[/b] Amazingly acted, beautifully written, and a great choice for the award. This movie is an adaptation of a novel, so my main props go to the talented crop of actresses in this one. I was especially impresses with Emma Stone who is still relatively new to the scene! I also found the story to be quite compelling, but unfortunately that praise doesn't go to the movie at all!
[b]4. The Artist:[/b] Although I found the movie a little hard to keep up with (dialogue wise) at times (just the fault of not being very seasoned with silent movies), It did a great job at telling a story that was both interesting, and fitting to the movie itself place in modern film. My very reason for cutting it down before is reflected in the movie, and for that I really appreciated it. The movie also had an amazing acting crop, and some surprising and refreshing moments that made me smile! If it does win, I will understand why... But it still isn't my favourite!
[b]5. Moneyball:[/b] A movie about Baseball that did an awesome job at not feeling like a movie about Baseball. Everyone loves the underdog story in movies, and this version was especially pleasant to watch. Brad Pitt did an awesome job, and the official breakout of Jonah Hill was a great one. I hope Jonah takes this as his opportunity to get away from laughable goofball roles and really makes himself a grade A actor. Great movie, great cast!
[b]6. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close:[/b] Although I can understand how this movie might be incredibly hard to watch for those who were directly affected by 9/11, I am not sure why it has gotten the negative reviews it has. First of all, I was quite blown away by the performance of Thomas Horn, a young actor with a real gift! The whole movie, although quite sad, was really well done, and intensely real! Although the story was not a real one, you could just feel the pain that everyone who was affected by the attacks had to go through. And Max von Sydow, so deserving of the supporting actor nomination!
[b]7. War Horse:[/b] A beautiful and inspiring movie that does a great job at showing genuine emotion. I notice the critics called this movie overly sappy, but I'm not quite sure how it can be less sappy. The whole premise of the story is an emotional story about a boy and his horse. However, as I watch more nominees, I find myself pushing this one down further. I think the five above it are far better movies simply for the reason that their stories are more compelling. But, I don't know if thats the fault of those that made War Horse, or just that its story is what it is, so the movie followed corse.
[b]8. Midnight in Paris:[/b] Way better than I was anticipating, and a wonderful story, but still finds itself down low= on my list, because I think it will be one of those that many forget about or don't even bother to see. The movie was really good, but there were lots of really good movies this year that didn't make the list that I would have put on instead of this one. It was good, but not amazing!
[b]9. Tree of Life:[/b] A very weird movie, and I don't know if weird belongs in dramas, but it was ok. I thought the performances of Pitt and Penn were quite good, but the movie did a terrible job at making the cast unimportant compared to the movie production. I think if it told a more down to earth story about this family and its struggles, then it would be better. However, it tried to turn the whole thing into a fantasy. I felt like I would enjoy the movie more if I had eaten some magical brownies first. I also found myself, and the others around me while watching, having to guess at what was going on. We were debating on what timeline the movie was on at any given point, and entirely confused most of the time. If the film had just focused on delivering the story, and less on delivering endless odd visuals about the creation of life, then maybe it would make more sense.