Oscars.
What to see before the big Award Show.
I'd love to be able to write a nice big post about this for Ree @ The Pioneer Woman
but I have not seen all the movies. And actually I don't want to see them all.
I will, however, tell you what I have seen and maybe you will want to watch one before Sunday.
Here is the list and I will tell you my opinions and thoughts;
The Nominees
American Sniper
I have not seen this movie. I am sure it is excellent. My husband would like it I am sure.
I just can't sit thru intense war movies.
My nerves can not handle it.
Platoon and Finding Private Ryan did me in.
Birdman
This is an amazing, interesting, weird, crass, brilliant movie.
The ending is so strange that my husband immediately hated the movie.
I came home and searched on line to figure out 'what the heck just happened.
Let me just say...this movie is so much deeper than my pretty little brain could comprehend...and I liked it so much anyway. I want to watch it again. Perhaps there is a viewers guide.
Available on DVD
Boyhood
I liked Boyhood. This movie is filmed over twelve years. It is more about a family than it is about one single boy. I liked it but did not love it.
Available on DVD
The Grand Budapest Hotel
I wanted to like this movie. It bored me to tears and I didn't finish watching it.
Sorry Wes Andersen fans.
The Imitation Game
Did not see.
Selma
Did not see.
Whiplash
Did not see.
The Theory of Everything
I loved this movie. Great story, great styling, great acting.
This one you should watch.
It is out on DVD.
Three other movies that I think are worth watching from last year are Into the Woods, Fault in our Stars, and The Hundred Foot Journey.
Did you see and LOVE any of the nominated movies?
What was your favorite movie of 2014?
XOXO
Donna Elsie
Still Alice with Julianne Moore. Just saw it. Very good.
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to seeing this.
DeleteThe book is amazing and means a lot to me. I look forward to seeing the film.
DeleteJust heard someone I trust say she liked Still Alice this morning. My mom has dementia...so it may be rough for me
Delete... kathy b, my mom has Alzheimer's. The book was actually very helpful to me.
DeleteBoth Mark and I saw American Sniper, and we both really liked it. It was intense, but how they handled the ending was worth waiting for. It was very surreal as we walked out of the theater. Still Alice finally opens up here this weekend....hope to see that. I also would like to see the Imitation Game. We rented Boyhood....could have lived without seeing it. The concept of filming over 12 years was so cool, I think people over looked the fact that it was boring! Happy Oscars!
ReplyDeleteAmy,
DeleteYou must not have liked Unbroken?? I heard they left out the best parts of the book.
Ugh....not super happy with Unbroken. The book is sooooo much better.
DeleteI had a feeling. Sorry. I know you had high hopes.
DeleteYou're right about American Sniper, it is good, but it is intense and violent and isn't exactly a feel good story, plus if you pay attention to the news you know what happens at the end.
ReplyDeleteSelma was good, I actually didn't know much about that march so it was interesting.
Imitation game, kind of the same thing, about a story I didn't know much about, pretty interesting, but not especially entertaining.
I don't get Wes Anderson movies. I have seen a handful, and some are just so boring.
I wish you would have seen Whiplash because I would love your opinion. I was surprised to read that Whiplash has a better audience and critic score than Birdman on Rotten Tomatoes but this movie does not seem to be a front runner.
ReplyDeleteAgree it was intense and well acted. Some said inspiring but I would not want my kid to be so driven to get in a car accident, go through the windshield, and literally run on foot to a performance. Interesting ending. Like Birdman it made me say 'What?".
I enjoyed watching Boyhood because of what it represented - talk about commitment!! The uniqueness of it made up for the not so exciting parts. Patricia A and Ethan Hawke were especially good. My access to English speaking films is limited; I'd like to see Imitation Game and The Theory of Everything. I'm too squeamish for American Sniper.
ReplyDeleteOhhh Im glad to see your reviews Donna. Some movies are just too much for me ..I get so emotionally involved. Troy said Sniper bothered him for 4 days...
ReplyDeleteZach says I would really like iImitation game even though I hate war movies. I loved Into the woods. I also Loved Life Itself with Roger Ebert...touching..amazing...you will love it.
You always have such good advice about movies, thanks!
ReplyDeleteWe are always a year behind or more.
love and prayers, jep
Oh I didnt realize Theory of Everything was already on DVD! Just added and bumped it to #1 on Netflix. Ive been wanting to see it.
ReplyDeleteI liked Boyhood. It was almost more fun watching it to see the people grow through the years rather than just watching the story. I really liked the way they did that.
we tried to see the theory of everything on valentines day but it sold out as i got to the ticket counter. i want to watch it this weekend, i also want to see boyhood.
ReplyDeletewe have seen
american sniper
selma
into the woods
the imitation game
of those 4 my favorite was the imitation game
i read still alice but patrick wasn't interested in seeing it. you have now intrigued me about birdman.
Birdman. Thumbs down. Loved Michael Keaton, but just too weird and the moving camera made me queezy.
ReplyDeleteImitation. Thumbs up. Enlightening to know this heartbreaking true story.
Boyhood. My favorite. Loved the simplicity, the realness.
Sniper. Thumbs up for Bradley Cooper's performance, but the violence is so hard to watch.
Budapest. Thumbs down, not my thing.
It is more enjoyable to watch The Oscar's when you've seen the movies. We do a girl's day every Feb and squeeze in 2 or 3 together.
Great idea!!! Loved hearing your opinions Anon ;o)
DeleteI enjoyed Boyhood and thought Ethan Hawke was especially good. I don't mind a meandering, thoughtful plot and enjoyed watching everyone age. I was moved by Unbroken but the cruelty was hard for me to watch. The segment where the three are adrift at sea and Louie pleads with God is one I will not forget. I also liked Exodus: Gods and Kings and thought Christian Bale was good as Moses but it does bother me when movies mess with scripture and change some things. Loved The Fault in Our Stars and thought it was touching. My favorite movie I saw in the last year? Romantics Anonymous, a foreign film made in 2010.
ReplyDeleteDebbie Z.
Yes to The Fault in our Stars :-)
DeleteI just remembered The Lunchbox.
ReplyDeleteIt is my favorite movie I saw this year.
I really liked The Lunchbox, too!
DeleteI've been wanting to watch The Lunchbox ever since you first wrote about it but I can't find it. Netflix didn't have it. Where did you rent it/ stream it from?
DeleteLOVED The Lunchbox. I watched it at your suggestion and was not disappointed. In fact, I liked it so much that I meant to buy it and now you have reminded me.
DeleteDebbie Z.
Beth, I rented it from amazon instant video. Not sure it is still available.
DeleteThe Lunchbox was a hit at our house, too. I started to put it down as my favorite, but I could not remember if it came out last year or earlier. ;-) jep
DeleteSadly we don't get to the movies too much any more. Out of all of them the only one I saw was American Sniper, and thought it was very good. But I am a military spouse so my perspective may be very different.
ReplyDeleteI like so many of the nominated films this year! The Theory of Everything and Whiplash are my very favorites and I would give them both 4+ stars. I also loved Birdman, Boyhood, Imitation Game and Selma – all for very different reasons. American Sniper was very good as well, but the violence was hard to take. Grand Budapest was silly and fun and some scenes reminded me of Monty Python humor.
ReplyDeleteI think Julianne Moore is definitely going to win Best Actress and thought she did a phenomenal job in Still Alice. Best Actor is more up in the air as Eddie Redmayne should win, but Michael Keaton might get it. Also, any other year and Benedict Cumberbatch could have gotten it for his performance.
Movies I loved this year that weren't nominated for best picture: Fault in Our Stars, Still Alice, Begin Again, St. Vincent, 100 Foot Journey, Heaven is for Real, Wild, Ida and Mockingjay.
Well, since this is not my blog, I think I best stop here even though I could talk about movies all day. I’m so looking forward to Sunday night. It’s my Super Bowl.
Didn't mean to leave Into the Woods off favorites list. Love the musical and thought they did a fantastic job with the movie! Also, saw Cake recently and thought it was very good. Jennifer Aniston was superb.
DeleteSt Vincent is out on video now. I want to see that.
DeleteYOU should be writing for Ree!!
I call it my Super Bowl too :o)
Man, I'd love to talk to you about Birdman!
Go Jen.
I'm curious about Whiplash. It did not make the talk show circuit.
Ha! Thanks for the compliment, but I'm nowhere near clever or witty enough to write official reviews. :) Oftentimes I have strong feelings about something and am definitely very chatty, but cannot quite find the right words to describe why I either love it or dislike it. It's just emotions, you know? :)
DeleteWhiplash was completely riveting. The language was far from clean, but the acting and story -- wow. I wish we could talk Birdman, too. And I haven't stopped thinking about the ending of Cake since the credits. Also, forgot to mention that I saw the nominated live action shorts at the theater for the first time ever and 4 out of the 5 were pretty awesome. Some were touching and others funny, but it's amazing what can be packed into 20-30 minutes of storytelling.
Can't wait until our Super Bowl!!