Mini-Reviews: Oscar Special

These past weeks I've tried to see as many of the big Oscar Nominated films as possible, and here are my thoughts:

Slumdog Millionaire - Don't get me wrong, this was a really good film, but to me it just isn't quite the big-deal that people seem to be making it out to be. It's certainly a very compelling story, and I really liked the narrative, particularly when it stops being flashback and becomes present. The acting was great and it was well-directed. I don't have any major criticisms that I can throw at it (beyond it's unimpressive advertising) - I connected with the film well - it's just that I've seen better films that I've enjoyed far more. It wasn't quite my bottle-of-Ribena.

The Wrestler - Mickey Rourke was awesome, certainly, as was Marisa Tomei, and again it was a really strong story. There were aspects which I wasn't so happy about, particularly the ending. I know a lot of people love it, and I'm not wanting a happier ending, just one with a little more closure for the other characters. Okay, it was about The Ram's life, and you know what probably happens to the other characters after... It's just that I would have liked to see it.


Frost/Nixon - I liked this film more than I thought I might. The strength of the acting is one reason, but the actual story was also really interesting. I still know little about the Watergate Scandal, because there was very little exposition, and being a child of the 90's I don't really know exactly what happened. But that didn't hinder the film, really, as it was about seeing these characters go head-to-head. I was slightly annoyed that everything just worked-out for Frost without him working particularly hard for it, so it felt anyway, but it may be an accurate retelling of the events.

The Reader - I saw this with an audience of OAPs. I thought it was awkward when the STDs/Use-a-condom advert came on... then the film started. I'm not afraid of nudity in cinema, but it was uncomfortable when I was the only one younger than 60, and the scenes involve a character who is 16 with an older woman. Getting over that, which I had to do fast due to the volume of nudity, I enjoyed the film. I really liked the twist (well, not a twist, but the revelation), and how the story changed dramatically twice, leaping over periods of time. Winslet was very strong, as was the younger actor, David Kross.

Milk - When film like Changeling can make me angry about injustice, you'd think that a film like Milk would be able to achieve that no-problem. But it didn't. And that annoyed me. I thought the acting was fine - and I do think that Josh Brolin is good competition for Heath Ledger for Best-Supporting Actor - and it was really well written. I'd heard Milk's story previously, but the ending was far more tense than I thought it would be when I knew what would happen. Perhaps I wasn't angry because Milk's murder wasn't really a hate-crime but an act of revenge. But still, the whole Proposition 6 issue in the movie has been mirrored recently, with Proposition 8 recently re-banning gay marriage in California. Surely, when it's dealing with an on-going issue, it could have made a bigger point.

Of the Best-Picture nominated films I've still to see The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, which is out this coming Friday. I'll try and catch it... but Bolt is also opening, and I do love me some Disney - particularly in Disney Digital 3D. Which is the same as any other 3D, it's just that Disney love to brand things. Like Disney DVDs, which (apart from being of Disney films) are no different from your standard DVD.