I started looking through the list of nominees and decided to check up on which of them had come to DVD to put them on my netflix... I haven't done extremely well with this endeavor. Okay, I suck. BUT here are the two that I will have been able to watch before the big night.
1. THE ASSASSINATION OF JESSE JAMES BY THE COWARD ROBERT FORD
Whew. What a title. Can you imagine walking up to the ticket counter and requesting THAT one? lol. My verdict- I liked it, but didn't LOVE it. It's definitely worth a watch, if only for its cinematography. And SURPRISE, when I looked back at the nominee's list to see what this film had been nominated for, I saw Achievement in Cinematography and Best Actor in a Supporting Role. There were moments that I really loved Casey Affleck's performance. Robert Ford goes from a clueless kid idolizing his hero to a young man trying to prove himself greater by betraying his hero. The movie's pace is slow, but this is largely due to the long takes and long periods without dialog. If the cinematography hadn't been so fantastic, it would have been unbearable. I loved the shots that looked like they were done with a fish eye lens. It added visual interest, and was also mirrored a few other times when a shot is looking through a thick, wavy glass window. It makes the scenes look slightly ethereal and added to the sense of fantasy that is associated with the legend of Jesse James. The legend is larger than life, but this movie depicts the man much different from the romanticized stories we are familiar with. The colors are cold, the scenery vast and empty, the tone bleak. There were some really interesting choices made in this film. My favorite things: Cinematography and the periods of narration. The narration is absolutely beautiful prose. The ending narration is the most moving part of the film. It highlights the end of Ford's life in comparison to the end of James' life... so poignant and heavy with irony.
2. 3:10 TO YUMA
I LOVED THIS MOVIE! It was so entertaining from beginning to end. The music was really distinctive, and I found myself humming it as the credits began to roll. Once again, I looked to see what it had been nominated for as I came here to write.... and.... Original Score and Sound Mixing. =) No wonder!
This is a movie that anyone would like. There are some films that get Oscar nods that most people just don't get. This is not one of them. It kept me on the edge of my seat, introduced characters in a way that keeps you interested and caring about them... and every once in a while throws something unexpected at you. Just enough to keep you stressed about what's going to happen!!
Christian Bale can really do no wrong, if you ask me. (He had two dialogs that brought a little tear to my eye, sniffle) He is great in this movie, as is Russell Crowe. I was surprised to find myself laughing as often as I did in this one. There are some great one-liners and sharp exchanges between characters. This is a great throw-back to the hey-day of Westerns, though with a bit more language and violence than in those days, and I enjoyed every second of it.
I don't have anything too deep to say about it, but it's an all-around entertainer. SEE IT!!
I have to say that the fact that I noticed the things that each these movies were nominated for really boosted my confidence in my understanding of film. Haha. I didn't intend to have an outlaw movie week, but it worked out! It's so interesting that the movies have so much in common as far as subject matter (and even a slight plot similarity- one man bringing an outlaw to justice), and yet are so different. This is what makes movies great. Just think how we as an audience can be manipulated by the choices of the filmmaker. All of those choices do so much to make each of us have a unique experience with the film; we come away from each of these with a completely different emotional response. Think about why. Color is a huge part. One is gray, cold, and dark. The other is full of dusty browns and gold light, heat, and extremely bright light. Both have moments in the script that depend on banter between characters, but again it's completely different. In both films you begin to care for the outlaw. In both films you feel for the man bringing with the mission to bring him to justice. So similar and SO DIFFERENT. It's amazing how one can bring together some of the same elements to create a completely distinct film.
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