If equipped with a Fandango phone app, a local multiplex
showing the majority of the films, and a free afternoon to creep stealthily
around the premises of said multiplex, I propose that one could see the highlights
of the Academy Award Best Picture nominees over approximately 6-8 hours and for the admission price of a
single ticket. Almost all the films that stayed
in the theaters made bank, so I wouldn’t feel too bad about sneaking in for a
short chunk of the film without paying for it.
Also, you’ll probably drop $19 on a bag of popcorn and a small soda
while you’re there. In my mind, that
makes you and the theater even. Are they
serious? Do they know how much popcorn I
could make at my house for $19? I could
fill my entire car with popcorn and still have buckets of corn leftover!
(Apparently some NBA team already had this idea....)
Oh….the nominees…right….
Lets get started, shall we?
(To avoid making this post any longer, I have embedded links
to each plot description if you click on the title of the film in case you
aren’t familiar with this years nominees.
Thanks Fandango!)
1) Django Unchained – Hands down, my favorite movie of the
bunch. I’d actually recommend taking the
time to watch the entire film, but I’m a huge fan of Tarantino’s work and am
aware that not everyone feels that way.
Suffice to say if you love Tarantino, anachronistic music sequences and
all, this film is for you.
Most Memorable Scene: Approximately halfway through the film,
Leonardo DiCaprio’s character Calvin Candie gives an impassioned speech during
which he removes a human skull from a box.
No clue why DiCaprio didn’t get an Oscar nod for this scene alone,
because he certainly deserved it especially because he sliced open his hand accidentally in real life and just kept going. You’ll
know you’ve popped your head in at the right part if you see multiple
characters sitting at a long table in a well appointed dining room. Just sit and wait for the crazy.
2) Silver Linings Playbook – I’m a sucker for movies about
people struggling with mental health issues.
And this one has become my new gold standard. Many dismiss it for its feel-goodery and
romantic comedy feel, but I say bring it on.
This is most definitely another one that I’d recommend be watched from
start to finish.
Most Memorable Scene:
Jennifer Lawrence is the favorite for the Best Actress trophy this year. Sidle into the theater about halfway through
to catch the scene in which Lawrence goes toe to toe with the great DeNiro without
missing a beat. That she’s able to hold
her own all while nonchalantly slugging on a light beer proves why she should
get the gold.
3) Zero Dark Thirty –I recommend trying to see the scene
from this movie first so that you can feel like a total badass sneaking around
your movie theater.
Most Memorable Scene:
I think most people would agree that the scene in which the Navy SEAL team
raids Bin Laden’s compound is both astounding and nerve wracking.
Shot mostly from a first-person perspective, this sequence made me feel like
an accomplice to one of the great covert missions of the past decade. Scoot in for the last 45 minutes of the film,
and stay until the end so you can catch some footage of Jessica Chastain’s
brilliantly restrained performance.
4) Argo – In all honesty, for me there were no standout scenes
in this movie. I adore Ben Affleck as a
filmmaker, John Goodman is a national treasure and I thought this movie was
well made, but I wasn’t captivated by any particular part. That said, the story is unbelievably true and
the film is definitely worth a viewing, especially since it’s the current
frontrunner for Best Picture. In two weeks it’ll be out on amazon streaming for
like $5, so I’d recommend waiting so you can enjoy it from your couch with
reasonably priced snacks. In fact, you
could do an Oscar double feature and pair it with…..
5) Beasts of the Southern Wild – Quvenzhane Wallis is
going to be the belle of the ball on Oscar night. I cannot wait to see her walk the red carpet
in her little dress, with her beaming mom or dad in tow to chaperone her. That said, her performance is the reason to
watch. She plays a mostly unsupervised
six year old, wandering around an area called the ‘bathtub’ in Lousianna, and
for much of the movie she alternates between carefully pressing her ear to
various wild animals, and trying to understand her mercurial father. Like I said before, this movie is available
to stream on amazon for $4, and has the shortest running time of all the
nominees, clocking in at just over 90 minutes.
Even though the movie did not completely come together for me at the
end, it is certainly unique and I'd go so far as to say the entire movie is an extended memorable scene.
6) Life of Pi– This is the only nominee in 3D. And while I usually detest 3D, I felt that
this was an inspired use of the medium.
I did not read the book, but felt that was to my benefit. As the story was unfamiliar to me, I was
captivated from start to finish. I
didn’t expect to like this movie, but found myself thinking about the story for
days as a twist at the end touched my soul in an unexpected way.
Most Memorable Scene: Try to gank a pair
of those 3D glasses from a ticket kiosk, or ask friends if they have an old
pair lying around. Stick those babies in
front of your eye holes and watch the scene approximately an hour in where Pi
attempts to train the tiger. You’ll feel
as if you are bobbing in the open ocean, and I dare you to not want to reach
out and touch the tigers furry rump as he struggles back into the boat. Visually stunning.
8) Les Miserables –I saw Les Miserables on Broadway when I
was ten years old, and I was so mesmerized by the ending sequence that I almost
wandered into oncoming traffic. Thankfully, my parents grabbed
me, breaking my reverie, but that didn’t stop me from getting the Original Cast
Recording Soundtrack and listening to it until it started skipping from
wear. The movie, while an amazing feat
of filmmaking, certainly did not move me in the way that the live performance did.
Most Memorable Scene: Most certainly it’s when Anne
Hathaway’s Fantine sings “I Dreamed A Dream”.
Hathway benefits greatly from the tight close up shot that director Tom
Hooper selected for the scene. For
almost the entirety of the song, viewers are asked to fixate on her raw, filth
streaked face and shoulders. She is
completely laid bare. With a bleak
future ahead of her she is left with nothing but a past and a voice. Hathaway is the lock of all locks for the
Best Supporting Actress Oscar this year, and this performance conveniently
takes place during the first 30 minutes of the movie.
9) Amour – You may not be able to find this one at your
local multiplex. But to that, I
say….don't worry. Do not see this movie unless
you want your world to be disturbed.
From the outside, it seems like a sweet story of a man and his wife
coping with illness and old age. The
problem for me is that it is done too realistically. I almost walked out several times, and I
never walk out. That’s not to say it’s a
bad movie, its just that it rocked me to my core by presenting a universal
inevitability of life that I am definitely not ready to deal with yet. Also – subtitles are hard to read while in
the midst of sobbing uncontrollably.
Most Memorable Scene: During the last 30 minutes of the
film, the character Georges sits by his wife Anne as she screams in delusional
pain. She cannot communicate, so he
gently scoops up her hand and tells her a story from his childhood to calm her
down. He takes conversational pauses
during the story, treating her as if she’s still well and can respond to
him. The end of this scene left me
incapacitated with sorrow. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.
Enjoy the overpriced movie popcorn! And the creeping around. Who doesn't enjoy a good creep?
